Today’s decision to move children’s heart surgery services from Glenfield has come as a terrible shock to patients and their families, the staff at the hospital and thousands of members of the public.

I spent the day at Glenfield, and was with the families, doctors, nurses, support staff and volunteers as the news came through. It was upsetting and very disappointing for people who have worked tirelessly to provide care for some of the most vulnerable children in society, and have run a brilliant campaign to keep children’s heart surgery here in Leicester.

People have a lot of questions about how and why this decision was reached, which need to be properly answered. In the coming days I will be talking to all those involved to discuss what should happen next and the best way forward from here.

For now, the most important thing is to focus on the patients who are being treated at Glenfield. They have and will always remain the priority – because that is what our NHS does best.

As the local MP, I will always do everything I can to support Glenfield and to ensure my constituents get the very best standards of care.