Heart failure

This hospital, which has an international reputation for excellence, was created in line with national guidance so that the full range of treatments could be carried out under one roof.

The dilemma is a familiar one as a consultation exercise – now under way – offers little prospect of heart surgery remaining in Leeds. As these operations become more advanced, they require a level of expertise that can only be provided at a handful of units.

This is understandable, especially given the extent to which doctors remain under the microscope, in performance tables. Parents have every right to expect complicated treatment to be performed by the very best doctors available. Yet, when these parents – and others – were campaigning for a dedicated children’s hospital in Leeds, they did so in the belief that the most complex operations would be undertaken locally.

For, once this consultation process begins, there will be serious knock-on impacts on other specialisms in Leeds, not least through the loss of hi-tech paediatric intensive care, as well as for patients with serious cardiac disorders and who need surgery for other ailments.

It is why, therefore, that the consultative process should not pre-judge the situation; all options should remain until doctors, parents and other interested parties have stated their case. In short, no rash decisions should be taken on a matter that could have genuine life and death consequences.