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Leeds hospital suspends child heart surgery Leeds hospital suspends child heart surgery
(about 4 hours later)
Children's congenital heart surgery has been suspended at a Leeds hospital while an internal review is carried out. Children's congenital heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary has been suspended as a review is carried out.
The chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said outside experts would be drafted in to help review "all aspects" of care. There are concerns about the number of deaths at the hospital, which is at the centre of a long dispute over the future of children's heart services.
The decision followed a meeting with senior NHS officials and the Care Quality Commission on Thursday. The medical director of the NHS, Bruce Keogh, said it was "a highly responsible precautionary step".
There are concerns about mortality data at the trust. But some people have questioned the decision and its timing, 24 hours after a High Court ruling kept surgery there.
Affected families are being contacted directly by the trust. Leeds General Infirmary had been earmarked for closure by the NHS review to concentrate children's heart surgery in fewer bigger centres.
But that decision was quashed by a High Court judge on Wednesday.
Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for Pudsey, who has led a cross-party campaign to keep the unit open, said it was a "very odd" decision coming after the jubilation that greeted the court ruling.
"We have always asked them 'is it safe at Leeds?' and the answer always came back 'yes it is'.
"What is the information that says that has changed?"
He added he had not received one complaint about care.
Children who would have been treated in Leeds will be sent to other hospitals around England.Children who would have been treated in Leeds will be sent to other hospitals around England.
'Safety first' Affected families are being contacted directly by the trust and the review is expected to take three weeks.
Leeds General Infirmary has been at the centre of a long-running row about whether children's heart services should be moved to other units elsewhere in the country. Anne Keatley-Clarke, chief executive of the Children's Heart Federation, an umbrella group for different voluntary organisations, said she had raised concerns about surgery outcomes two years ago, and more recently parents had reported difficulties in getting referrals at Leeds to other heart units.
The announcement of the suspension of surgery comes less than 24 hours after campaigners from Leeds won a High Court battle to keep surgery there. In a statement on the federation website, she said: "My concern is that it appears that managers and clinicians in Leeds, together with the parent support group, have put their own interests ahead of the well-being of critically ill children and their very vulnerable parents."
In a statement, trust chief executive Maggie Boyle, said: "We have taken the decision to temporarily pause children's congenital cardiac surgery and associated interventions while this review is conducted, a process we would aim to complete in around three weeks. Sir Bruce and senior managers from the Care Quality Commission visited the hospital on Thursday to say it must stop all children's heart surgery there immediately.
"We apologise to parents and families who will be affected during this time, and can assure them we always put the safety of our patients first.
"It is really important to us that the review is done as speedily and comprehensively as possible which, of course, we hope will show the services in Leeds to be safe.
"We are confident in the quality of the care provided by our staff and hope they will bear with us during this difficult time."
The CQC said: "We support the trust's decision to carry out a review of their children's heart surgery unit and to put existing activity on hold pending the outcome of this review.
"We are in close contact with the trust to ensure effective arrangements are in place to protect the safety and welfare of patients during the period of of the review, and will continue to monitor the situation extremely closely."
BBC News understands that senior managers from both NHS England and the CQC, including the medical director of the NHS Bruce Keogh, arrived at Leeds General Infirmary on Thursday morning and demanded that all children's heart surgery should stop with immediate effect.
Contrary to other media reports, adult heart surgery is not affected.
In a statement, Sir Bruce said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.In a statement, Sir Bruce said: "The trust has taken a highly responsible precautionary step.
"Some questions have been raised by the trust's own mortality data and by other information."Some questions have been raised by the trust's own mortality data and by other information.
"It is important to understand that while this information raises questions, it does not give us answers. "It is important to understand that while this information raises questions, it does not give us answers."
'Mystified' The chief executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said outside experts would be drafted in to help review "all aspects" of care.
A decision to stop children's heart surgery at the Leeds hospital was quashed by a High Court judge on Wednesday. In a statement, Maggie Boyle apologised to parents and families affected but assured them the trust always put the safety of patients first.
Previously, an NHS review said surgery should stop at hospitals in Leeds, Leicester and London to focus care at fewer, larger sites, where medical expertise can be concentrated. The CQC said it supported the trust's decision and it was in close contact with the trust to ensure effective arrangements were in place to protect the safety and welfare of patients.
But earlier this month, the judge ruled the consultation process which led to the decision was unfair and legally flawed.
The NHS review team said they would study the implications of the ruling, and consider grounds for appeal.
Stuart Andrew, Conservative MP for Pudsey, who has led a cross-party campaign to keep the unit open, questioned the decision to suspend surgery, and why the data to be examined had not been part of the High Court case.
He pointed out that a recent NHS review of heart surgery said that Leeds was safe.
Mr Andrew also questioned why the NHS had taken this action a day after Parliament had adjourned for the Easter recess.
Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Keith Wakefield said: "I am shocked at the timing of today's events following the High Court decision yesterday and the major transformational changes taking place in the NHS from Monday.
"Many people will be deeply sceptical about these developments and the question has to be asked why the National Commissioning Board and the Care Quality Commission have raised these issues at this time."
Sharon Cheng, from Save Our Surgery - the group which is co-ordinating the fight to keep children's heart surgery in Leeds - said: "We're mystified.Sharon Cheng, from Save Our Surgery - the group which is co-ordinating the fight to keep children's heart surgery in Leeds - said: "We're mystified.
"We don't know of anything that could justify this step.""We don't know of anything that could justify this step."
Previously, an NHS review said surgery should stop at hospitals in Leeds, Leicester and London to focus care at fewer, larger sites, where medical expertise can be concentrated.
More than 600,000 people signed a petition opposing the closure plans. Many people were unhappy that children from Leeds faced journeys of up to 150 miles for care.More than 600,000 people signed a petition opposing the closure plans. Many people were unhappy that children from Leeds faced journeys of up to 150 miles for care.
The leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor Keith Wakefield, said he was "shocked at the timing of today's events".