大象传媒

Yesterday鈥檚 statement of the Health Secretary that, in the light of the report from an independent panel, he was suspending the process which would have stopped children鈥檚 heart surgery in three hospitals has been well received. One of the units which had been recommended for closure, at Leeds General Infirmary is just down the road from this studio, and parents in West Yorkshire weren鈥檛 looking forward to travelling to Newcastle or Liverpool with a profoundly sick child.
One of my grandchildren when a baby had a heart operation at one of the other hospitals, Glenfield in Leicester, and although I don鈥檛 have first hand knowledge of the third unit at the Royal Brompton in West London I know that it too has fought a firm battle to prevent closure.
Between them the three heart units will have saved the lives of hundreds of children and many parents and families are in their debt, so there is general relief that the closure is suspended at least for the time being. From my own earlier involvement, however, I do understand the medical argument in the initial recommendation, that to provide the best comprehensive and safe heart surgery there needs to be a team of at least six surgeons available, and extensive nursing and medical back-up, and it鈥檚 difficult to provide this at all of the ten hospitals at present performing such operations...