A cross-party group of MPs has met with NHS England in Parliament to discuss their proposals for Glenfield’s Children’s Heart Surgery Unit.
The meeting – arranged by Leicester West MP Liz Kendall – included Jon Ashworth, MP for Leicester South; Nicky Morgan, MP for Loughborough; Sir Edward Garnier, MP for Harborough; Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire; and Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering.
During the meeting, MPs grilled NHS bosses about their proposal to stop surgery at the unit and the impact this could have on other vital services, especially paediatric intensive care and ECMO.
After the meeting, the MPs issued a joint statement saying:
“Glenfield Children’s Heart Surgery Unit provides an excellent service to patients across the East Midlands. Its outcomes are amongst the best in the country and the doctors and nurses are working hard to do even more to improve care in future.
“NHS England’s proposal would leave the East Midlands as the only region in the country without a children’s heart surgery unit. We are also concerned about the knock-on effect that stopping surgery could have on other vital services, including Glenfield’s world leading ECMO service and paediatric intensive care.
“We are pleased that there will be a public consultation about these proposals starting in the new year. We will continue to press the case for Glenfield at every opportunity and urge our constituents to do the same, including by signing the petition, to make sure their views are heard loud and clear.”
The online petition can be signed here:
