The NHS has launched a major four month public consultation on the way children’s congenital heart services should be provided in the future. The NHS is urging everyone with an interest in children’s congenital heart services to take part in the consultation and have their say on these vital services. Full details are on our website: www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safeandsustainable
The North West Congenital Cardiac Network provides cardiology and cardiac surgical services to patients right across the region as well as to residents of North Wales and the Isle of Man. Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust is the cardiac surgery centre for children in the region and features in all four of the options out for public consultation.
Alder Hey works in partnership with Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital) as part of a managed clinical network. Clinicians from the two hospital trusts hold outreach clinics for patients in district general hospitals as far afield as Barrow, Rhyl, Crewe and Stockport.
A consultation event for parents, patients and the public will be in held at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in Warrington on Monday 9
th
May between 6pm and 9pm. Registration for this event is now open. To register please go to : https://www.eventsforce.net/safeandsustainable
Children’s heart surgery is complex and becoming increasingly specialised. The NHS Safe and Sustainable review aims to improve outcomes for children with congenital heart disease by introducing new national quality standards, developing children’s heart networks and pooling surgical expertise. Safe and Sustainable is proposing four options to reduce the number of hospitals providing children’s heart surgery from 11 to six or seven to improve results for children. The review also proposes that many non-surgical services, such as diagnosis, assessments and ongoing care, are provided closer to families’ homes.
Leslie Hamilton, Immediate Past President for the Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery and Vice Chairman of the Safe and Sustainable Steering Group said: “This consultation is about improving the quality of care for children with congenital heart disease (CHD). We must concentrate surgical expertise in larger (and therefore fewer) centres to ensure we produce better outcomes for children and ensure services are safe and sustainable for the future. I urge patients and families to respond to the consultation. This is the most important opportunity people will have to directly influence the outcome of the consultation.”
The NHS will be holding a series of consultation events across England and in Wales, including three events specifically for young people, so that the public can find out more about what the proposed changes may mean for the services in their region. Safe and Sustainable has also produced a video, available on the website, clearly communicating the aims of the review and featuring interviews with families of children who have CHD.
No decisions about the future of any of the existing surgical centres will be made until after the consultation. An independent third party will collate all the responses and a comprehensive analysis will be provided to the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, the decision making body for the Safe and Sustainable review, to help evaluate the four options. A decision on the future of children’s congenital heart services is expected in late 2011. Those centres that are not chosen to continue to carry out surgery will not close. Instead, it is envisaged that they may become children’s cardiology centres.
To access the online consultation document and to complete an electronic version of the response form please visit: www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/safeandsustainable
ENDS
The NHS will be holding consultation events in England and in Wales between March and June. Locations and times for the young people’s and North West events are below.
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Location
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Date
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Time of event
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Proposed Venue
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London (Event for young people)
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Sat 19 March
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11am-1pm
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Charing Cross Hotel
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Birmingham (Event for young people)
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Sat 9 April
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11am-1pm
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Maple House
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Warrington
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Mon 9 May
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6-8pm
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Halliwell Jones Stadium
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York (Event for young people)
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Sat 14 May
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11am-1pm
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The Royal Hotel York
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The options for reconfiguring the service are:
Option A
Seven surgical centres at:
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- Glenfield Hospital, Leicester
- Birmingham Children's Hospital
- Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
- 2 centres in London
Option B
Seven surgical centres at:
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- Birmingham Children's Hospital
- Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
- Southampton General Hospital
- 2 centres in London
Option C
Six surgical centres at:
- Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- Birmingham Children's Hospital
- Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
- 2 centres in London
Option D
Six surgical centres at:
- Leeds General Infirmary
- Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- Birmingham Children's Hospital
- Bristol Royal Hospital for Children
- 2 centres in London
London
The preferred two London centres in the four options are:
- Evelina Children’s Hospital
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
For more information:
Jo Stringer, Head of Communications & Engagement, North West Specialised Commissioning Group
T: 01925 406017 or 07824 639605
E: jo.stringer@nwsct.nhs.uk
