All hospital units that provide congenital heart surgery in England have been assessed against new standards to ascertain whether they are providing an acceptable standard of care to patients.

Following an assessment in 2016, NHS England announced a proposal to stop children’s heart surgery at the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre in Glenfield Hospital. NHS England previously stated that “the hospital’s three surgeons are not meeting a total target of performing 375 operations a year.” It also said that “the hospital was not meeting new standards and that it was unlikely to do so in the future.”

A public consultation on the future of children’s heart services in England included plans which could see surgery for children born with heart defects stopped at Glenfield Hospital. The consultation closed on 17.07.17 and the outcome is not yet known. It is thought that a final decision on the future of the hospital will be made in early 2018.

The Leicester Mercury reported that more than 6,500 people nationwide sent in their views on the future of children’s heart services in England. Alison Poole, Special Projects Manager at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said that it is believed that a large number of the responses came from the East Midlands.

Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth said that the East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre “has backing from Labour and Tory MPs in the region.”

Steve Score, chairman of the Save Glenfield Children’s Heart Centre campaign, said: “There is no reason to close the centre that makes sense. We want to make sure this stays in the hearts and minds of everyone because it’s so important.”

The East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre is 1 of 14 specialist congenital heart centres in England. The team at Moosa-Duke Solicitors is concerned that if the decision is made to close the unit, it could have a detrimental effect on patient care, and the journey to other hospitals may be longer and more difficult, as the closest hospital that will offer children’s heart surgery is in Birmingham.

Moosa-Duke Solicitors are specialists in all aspects of clinical negligence matters and have a wealth of specialist experience dealing with adult and children cardiac claims. If you have concerns regarding the care or treatment that you have received, please contact us on 0116 254 7456 for a no obligation conversation.