Fightback Against the Closure of Glenfield Heart Unit

A massive attack has been launched on NHS congenital heart services in England. Patients, families and health workers will not accept it and we will fight back. As a parent whose fifteen-year-old son had open heart surgery only seven months ago at one of the threatened units, Leicester Glenfield Hospital, I am furious.

NHS England has announced that three hospital trusts in Leicester, Manchester and London (Royal Brompton and Harefield) will have to stop complex surgery on people born with heart problems. Five other trusts (Blackpool, Manchester, Papworth, Nottingham and Imperial College) will have to stop providing other heart services and procedures. It will also have knock on effects on many other services provided, such as paediatric intensive care, and on other hospitals that use their services.

Four years ago the NHS nationally – and in reality the government behind them – tried to ‘centralise’ services and were defeated by campaigns and legal challenges. Now they are trying again. The medical arguments they put forward are flawed and it is the billions of pounds of “efficiency savings” (read cuts) required of the NHS by this government that are really behind it.

Leicester Glenfield heart unit is one of the best and has pioneered certain treatments in this country. Last year, despite carrying out hundreds of surgeries, they had a zero mortality rate within 30 days of the operation. NHS England say they fall short of a totally arbitrary target of 375 operations, yet last year it was 331 and is expanding.

The care and support they gave my son was fantastic and makes you proud of the achievements of the NHS. Kids need their friends and family around them when they have long stays in hospital and while they do have family accommodation on the children’s heart ward, centralisation would mean greater distances to travel for family as well as for appointments for the child.

Leicester had the first Ecmo (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation) machine in the country – allowing patients, especially children and babies, to survive heart or lung failure. It now has 50% of the country’s paediatric capacity. Closing the East Midlands Congential Heart Centre in Leicester would mean the loss of this service and all the expertise built up over years.

The children’s heart service is much loved, with charity fundraising providing many of the facilities including Ecmo. A battle now has to be launched. The trade unions should play a key role alongside NHS staff, patients and families. Leicestershire Against the Cuts wants to save the unit in Leicester, but we also want to avoid the attempt made last time by the NHS nationally to play one hospital off against another. The NHS needs defending. Funding needs expanding, privatisation must be reversed and democratic control is needed over decision making!

Leicestershire Against The Cuts will be holding an emergency public meeting on Wednesday 13th July, 7pm at the Barley Mow pub (Granby St, upstairs). Facebook event page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/282309795461825/