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Children's heart unit in Southampton saved (From Daily Echo)
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Children's cardiac unit at Southampton General Hospital saved
6:50pm Wednesday 4th July 2012 in Have a Heart
By Melanie Adams, Health Reporter
Nursing staff celebrate after the cardiac unit is saved
CHILDREN'S heart surgery in Southampton has been saved.
Health bosses have this afternoon decided to listen to the 250,000 people who signed the Daily Echo's petition to save the surgical unit at Southampton General Hospital.
Campaigners and medical staff from the unit who travelled up to London to hear the decision celebrated the news and were quickly on the phone to call all those in Southampton anxiously awaiting the outcome.
Last February the surgical centre was given just a 25 per cent chance of survival as the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts looked to cut the UK's 11 units down to six or seven.
However after a prolonged campaign during the consultation, that ended with the Daily Echo heading to Downing Street to hand over the 250,000 signatures on the paper's Have a Heart petition, hospital bosses felt the case to keep surgery at Southampton was strongly made.
And just a moment ago they got the news they wanted to hear.
Mark Hackett, chief executive, said: “This is fantastic news for our patients and their families and we have been overwhelmed by the support we have received across the country. We would like to thank all those who supported us throughout the consultation to safeguard this service for future generations.
“In the future, there will no doubt be more national reviews of services and we need to keep quality at the centre of the way we shape, guide and decide location.”
Southampton City Council leader Cllr Richard Williams added: “We are absolutely delighted that the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts has fully recognised the excellence of Southampton’s children’s heart unit and have listened to the justified and logical argument to produce this excellent result.
“Southampton City Council commends the Daily Echo for this important campaign which we fully supported and which without doubt significantly contributed to the trust’s decision to secure our children’s heart unit for the future – well done!
“It’s just a shame we had to go through all this nonsense, but we got the right outcome and a great result for children and young people in this area.”
Comments(21)
magssoton
says...
6:55pm Wed 4 Jul 12
True Chandler's Ford resident
says...
6:59pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Over the Edge
says...
6:59pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Well done to all the doctor's, nurse's, children and parents who have fought hard to keep this wonderful unit open.
TheJoiners
says...
7:04pm Wed 4 Jul 12
sarfhamton
says...
7:11pm Wed 4 Jul 12
I can't see why any of them needed to close.
BenjiWinsor
says...
7:14pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Sir Ad E Noid
says...
7:23pm Wed 4 Jul 12
TheJoiners wrote:I'll second that.
Best news of the year :-)
ajw1986
says...
7:40pm Wed 4 Jul 12
twarland
says...
7:44pm Wed 4 Jul 12
acid drop
says...
7:49pm Wed 4 Jul 12
eee
for southampton general
freefinker
says...
7:51pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Excellent unit.
Great.
SOULJACKER
says...
8:11pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Well done to the General Hospital :)
The Music Man
says...
8:24pm Wed 4 Jul 12
OceansofRed
says...
8:44pm Wed 4 Jul 12
saintmatt84
says...
9:16pm Wed 4 Jul 12
business-guru
says...
9:25pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Karenrstevens
says...
9:45pm Wed 4 Jul 12
cantthinkofone
says...
11:33pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Cllr Williams' comment is staggeringly idiotic though.
"a shame we had to go through all this nonsense" he said.
This 'nonsense' should have happened ten years ago.
The principle is that every centre should be performing a minimum number of ops each year per surgeon, as the evidence is that this makes them safer, and more children survive.
This was realised and accepted a decade ago after the Bristol heart scandal.
In the meantime the failure of politicians and national health leaders to concentrate care in fewer centres has undoubtedly cost children their lives. They have shied away from this necessary change bevcause they have been scared of the voters' reaction to seeing a unit closed. Political cowardice in other words.
Southampton has always been viable and provided top class children's heart surgery, but the same cannot be said of some of the other units, which were too small to give their surgeons enough specialist expertise.
The statistics and evidence suggest that these avoidable deaths probably number in their hundreds.
To repeat - hundreds.
I'd like Cllr Williams to explain to the parents of those lost children why this review has been 'nonsense'.
The Music Man
says...
1:12am Thu 5 Jul 12
BenjiWinsor wrote:Couldn't agree more.
I listened to it all online live and I wouldn't say any petition or public outcry had any influence at all, all the centres had their locals out in force trying to save their centres. From the outset the discussion was based on evidence of quality, viability of locality, facilities and finance. From the outset option B seemed to be favourite based on the evidence and research and figures quoted. So pleased for Southampton but also pleased that it has been evidenced as the best decision of all options not just because we have the loudest voices.
The Leeds petition attracted more than 600,000 signatures, but they are closing; having also listened to the ruling on-line, the decision was based on so many other factors.
Well done Echo for supporting the campaign. It's a shame that any of the units had to close - they all do such a great job.
OSPREYSAINT
says...
10:50am Thu 5 Jul 12
S Pance says...
6:55pm Wed 4 Jul 12
Congrats to all who campaigned to keep it open! Well done!