Bishop of Leicester quizzes minister over children's cardiac unit at Glenfield Hospital
The Bishop of Leicester has questioned why a vital element of children's heart surgery services has not been included in a national review of a decision to shut the children's cardiac unit at Glenfield Hospital.
The Rt Rev Tim Stevens asked the Health Minister Earl Howe in the House of Lords yesterday to explain why the children's Ecmo (extra corporeal membrane oxygenation) service had been excluded in the review ordered by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Monday.
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The Bishop of Leicester the Rt Rev Tim Stevens
He has asked the independent panel to review a decision by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts to cut the number of hospitals providing heart surgery for children from 11 to seven.
Glenfield Hospital was one of the hospitals earmarked to stop providing the service and to have children's Ecmo services transferred to Birmingham.
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The bishop's question followed a debate in the House of Commons, triggered by an e-petition of more than 100,000 signatures.
The petition was set up by Adam Tansey, from Burbage, whose son Albert was born with half a heart.
Earl Howe replied that the exclusion of the Ecmo unit in the review could not be considered in the same way as the decision had been made by the previous Secretary of State, Andrew Lansley, and not by the joint committee.
However, Bishop Tim said he remained "very hopeful the support given to Glenfield Children's Cardiac Unit and the Ecmo unit in particular will lead to it being be included in the review at the earliest opportunity, in the hope the whole unit will remain in Leicester".
The petition can be signed at:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35788
Comments
by Siggus_Cattus
Friday, October 26 2012, 9:00AM
“I spotted Bishop Tim in the public gallery during the televised debate (check it out in the Parliament TV archives) on Monday in Westminster Hall, and am delighted that he is continuing to take up the issue of the Glenfield paediatric cardiac unit in the House of Lords. Anna Soubry, the Health Minister, responded on Monday, to continued pressure from MPs who called for ECMO to be included in the review, was not totally negative, and if the review finds ECMO is a major factor in the implications of the Joint Committee of PCTs decision then it should clearly be included in the Independent Panel's report and recommendations.
Glenfield survival rates are 50% higher than any other unit in this country and much of that success is due to the integral use of ECMO and the high quality of staff supporting the service. Glenfield is also the only unit in the UK to offer a mobile ECMO. International experts have supported the call for the Glenfield unit to remain in Leicester.
With over 105,000 people now having signed the petition, let us hope that the independent review process is open and transparent, and the facts speak for themselves so the unit will remain here in Leicestershire.”