Meeting with Minister over children’s heart surgery row

A decision is expected by the end of the year over the unit’s future as the NHS moves to offer services in fewer centres to improve expertise and patient safety.

A lengthy consultation – in which three out of four options would see surgery closed at Leeds General Infirmary – was heavily criticised amid claims it was using inaccurate data and skewed against the Yorkshire centre.

Today campaigners and patients’ families will join Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves at a meeting with Health Minister Simon Burns in an attempt convince him of the case for keeping surgery open in Leeds.

Although the review is being carried out independently by the NHS, Ministers could be dragged into making the final decision and dealing with any subsequent protests.

Sharon Cheng, director of the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund, which has been campaigning to keep the unit open, who will be attending the meeting, said: “Although the review of children’s heart surgery units is independent of government, the final decision will rest with the Health Secretary, which is why it is so important for us to make the case to Ministers for the retention of Leeds, and highlight our concerns with the flaws and inaccuracies in the review process.”

Ms Reeves said: “The future of the surgery is really important. Families and campaigners now have the opportunity to explain how this unit has helped them and how people in our region could be affected by its closure. Today, we will have a chance to show how much this unit matters to us.”

Earlier this year, more than 600,000 people signed a petition urging the NHS to keep the Leeds unit open. If it closes, patients and their families could be forced to travel to Liverpool or Newcastle instead.

NHS experts want the moved towards fewer, smaller, centres to boost expertise and avoid a repeat of incidents like the Bristol heart scandal, in which 35 babies died and dozens more were left brain damaged.

MPs from all three parties from across the region have been fighting to save surgery at the Leeds unit. A final decision is due to be made next month.