Last Chance To Have Say On Heart Unit
A major NHS consultation to help shape the future of children’s congenital heart services closes today.
Nearly 60,000 parents, children and health professionals around the country have been having their say in how services should be provided in the future.
The Safe and Sustainable consultation asked for views on the proposals to make services safe and sustainable for the future by having fewer, larger centres of expertise and creating congenital heart networks to provide care closer to home.
This could mean units like the one at Southampton General being closed. There's been a big campaign by parents unhappy about this, as this
Teresa Moss, Director of the National Specialised Commissioning Team, expressed her thanks to everyone who had taken part in the consultation:
“While the case for change is widely supported by medical experts, the NHS fully recognises these are not easy decisions. I would like to thank everyone for contributing to the consultation and for people’s comments and suggestions on how best to provide these vital services. No decisions will be made until all the evidence submitted during consultation has been thoroughly reviewed and analysed. Above all the NHS wants to ensure it makes the right decision for children with congenital heart disease in the future.”
Over the coming months responses to the consultation will be analysed by an independent, expert third party.
The Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts – the decision making body – will consider the feedback carefully and consider other relevant evidence. Additional information will be considered by the Joint Committee including detailed analysis from the Health Impact Assessment work, results from testing families’ travel patterns validated procedure numbers and Trusts’ detailed capacity planning information. In addition, an independent panel will consider the potential impact of the proposals on related services at the Royal Brompton Hospital and will provide advice to the Joint Committee.
People have shared their views in a wide variety of ways:
· 24,202 hard copy response forms:
· 13,645 online response forms
· 21,230 text messages
· 234 letters
· 8 petitions
· 2,086 people attended 16 consultation events, including three workshops specifically for young people
· 31 focus groups with parents, children and BAME groups
· 8 Health Impact Assessment workshops, supplemented by additional phone interviews and family groups
The JCPCT is expected to make a final decision by the end of 2011. Implementation of any changes to children’s congenital heart services is expected to start in 2013. A detailed implementation plan will be developed once a decision has been made.
So far, responses to the consultation (via hard copy and online response forms) across the country is:
Region
Online
Paper
Grand Total
CHANNEL ISLANDS
16
69
85
EAST MIDLANDS
3037
10436
13473
EAST OF ENGLAND
331
318
649
LONDON
1033
599
1632
NORTH EAST
1223
207
1430
NORTH WEST
255
153
408
SCOTLAND
38
50
88
SOUTH CENTRAL
3933
4200
8133
SOUTH EAST COAST
477
764
1241
SOUTH WEST
890
1228
2118
WALES
45
48
93
WEST MIDLANDS
232
417
649
YORKSHIRE AND THE HUMBER
834
1999
2833
Support for having fewer larger children’s heart surgery centres remains very strong. The British Heart Foundation, the Royal College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the British Congenital Cardiac Association, the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, Little Hearts Matter, the Children’s Heart Federation and other organisations support the need for change.
The options for reconfiguring the service are:
Option A
Seven surgical centres at:
o Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
o Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
o Glenfield Hospital, Leicester
o Birmingham Children's Hospital
o Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
o 2 centres in London
Option B
Seven surgical centres at:
o Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
o Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
o Birmingham Children's Hospital
o Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
o Southampton General Hospital
o 2 centres in London
Option C
Six surgical centres at:
o Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
o Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
o Birmingham Children's Hospital
o Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
o 2 centres in London
Option D
Six surgical centres at:
o Leeds General Infirmary
o Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
o Birmingham Children's Hospital
o Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
o 2 centres in London
For background information on the review and the process for delivering the recommendations please go to: www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safeandsustainable
