Heart Unit - Independent Review Into Closure

Health Secretary says plans to stop children's heart surgery at Leicester's Glenfield will be reviewed.

There's to be an independent review - into government plans to close the only childrens heart surgery unit in the East Midlands.

The Health Secretary - Jeremy Hunt - announced the decision - ahead of a meeting on Monday evening - with lots of MP's from Leicestershire and the wider region - who are all against the closure of surgery at Glenfield hospital in Leicester

Chair of the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Cllr Michael Cooke, said: "I am delighted to hear the news of this review but I am disappointed that the ECMO service is not being considered as part of that review, and will be looking at that issue separately. "We acknowledge that the decision over ECMO was made by the Secretary of State separately from the decision over Glenfield, but clearly it would make no sense for the ECMO service to move if the heart surgery was to remain at Glenfield. "If one decision is to be reviewed then the other one must also be." 

The committee's vice-chair, Leicestershire County Councillor Ruth Camamile, added: "It is a sensible move to look again at the decision to move children's heart surgery from Glenfield and one which I welcome. "We remain concerned about the capacity of Birmingham Children's hospital to take on heart surgery for all children in the Midlands area and are disappointed that ECMO services will not be part of the review. "We hope to demonstrate to the IRP and Secretary of State that these two service are interdependent."