Children's heart unit rethink welcomed by commission
Councillors have welcomed the news that a decision to end children's heart surgery at Glenfield Hospital is to be reviewed.
Members of Leicester City Council's health scrutiny commission said at a meeting yesterday that the review gave "hope" to campaigners fighting to keep the service in Leicester.
It was announced on Monday that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a plan to end the service at Glenfield – and three other centres nationally – should be looked at by an independent panel.
Councillors said they were disappointed a separate decision to move the specialist children's Ecmo treatment unit from Glenfield to Birmingham would not be included in the review.
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But they said they were still hopeful the decision to move Ecmo service would be reversed.
Commission member Councillor Baljit Singh said the review was a "light at the end of the tunnel".
Councillor Paul Westley said the panel which made the original decision to end children's heart surgery at Glenfield "totally ignored people, patients and the general public on this issue".
He said: "I think it was flawed and I hope Jeremy Hunt will see this and that the heart unit and Ecmo stay at Glenfield."
Commission chairman Councillor Michael Cooke said: "We need to continue to pursue the issue that Ecmo is intrinsically linked to the children's heart service. We need to carry on. This is winnable."
An e-petition against the closure, which led to a debate by MPs in Westminster on Monday, has now been signed by more than 104,500 people.
It is still open at:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/ petitions/35788
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