Yorkshire NHS chief urges Hunt to give them more time
Local NHS chief has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urging him to extend the deadline on children's heart surgery unit report.
Review into children's heart surgery ordered
The Health Secretary has ordered a review into the decision to stop children's heart surgery at several units.
Heart unit campaign
There is a blow to campaigners trying to save the Children's Heart Unit in Leeds.
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Breaking: Sir Roger Boyle will not take part in any investigations into Leeds heart unit
Greg Mulholland, MP for Leeds North West, has tweeted:
"Secretary of State announces that Sir Roger Boyle will play no further part in the Safe & Sustainable review."
Professor Sir Boyle had faced demands to step down over his claims that he would still not want his daughter to receive treatment at Leeds General Infirmary – even though it has reopened following a Government review.
Questions raised over handling of Heart Unit crisis
MPs are to ask questions in parliament over the handling of the Children's Heart Unit crisis in Leeds. Hull North MP Diana Johnson MP and Pudsey, Horsforth and Airborough MP Stewart Andrew will raise the issue this afternoon.
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Mortality rates released for children's heart surgery
Mortality rates for all children's heart surgery centres have been released following the temporary suspension of operations at the Leeds unit. It comes following concerns about death rates at Leeds which emerged after Newcastle's Freeman Hospital was chosen as the designated heart surgery centre.
The Freeman was selected over Leeds General Infirmary following the biggest consultation the NHS has ever carried out. However that decision is now on hold after campaigners in Leeds won a high court battle which upheld concerns that the rating system used during the decision process was flawed.
Now, data released by NHS England shows that none of the 10 centres in England breached thresholds for child heart surgery deaths, however Leeds General Infirmary was very close to the alert level. Operations resumed at the unit on Wednesday following a safety review.
Mortality rates released for children's heart surgery
Mortality rates for all children's heart surgery centres have been released following the temporary suspension of operations at the region's only unit.
Data released by NHS England shows that none of the 10 centres in England breached thresholds for child heart surgery deaths, but Leeds General Infirmary was very close to the alert level. Operations resumed at the unit on Wednesday following a safety review.
Experts disagree over children's heart services
The battle over the future of children's heart services has taken a new twist, with public disagreement between leading experts.
A former Government advisor has said he would not send his own daughter for heart surgery in Leeds, but would choose Newcastle.
Following the comment, NHS England stepped in to reassure parents. The Medical Director for the North of England told ITV News Tyne Tees he would have 'no doubt' about using the Leeds unit.
Both facilities are under review as part of a nationwide shake-up.
Watch Helen Ford's report here:
Leeds heart unit campaign responds to professor's remarks
Campaigners fighting to retain children's heart surgery in Leeds, have responded angrily to comments from a medical expert.
Professor Sir Roger Boyle, who is a former Government advisor, said he wouldn't send his own daughter for heart surgery in Leeds but would choose Newcastle instead.
Operations at the Leeds unit were recently suspended but resumed this week.
The NHS Medical Director for the North of England, Mike Bewick, has stepped into the debate saying if he had children who were in this position, he would have 'no doubt' he would take them to Leeds.
Meanwhile, Leeds children's heart unit campaigner Sharon Cheng gave this response to Professor Sir Roger Boyle's remarks:
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NHS England: 'immediate safety concerns' at Leeds heart op unit addressed
NHS England has released a statement saying 'immediate safety concerns' at the Leeds Children's Heart Surgery Unit have been addressed.
Following completion of the first stage of the review by an independent clinical team, into paediatric heart surgery in Leeds, NHS England has been given assurances, that the immediate safety concerns raised two weeks ago have been addressed and the unit recommenced surgery on a phased basis earlier this week.
Ends
It is the duty of NHS England first and foremost to protect patients, hence we paused surgery at the unit to allow a review of the data and other concerns raised to take place. I and NHS England cannot allow undue risks when it comes to the safety of children.
NHS England originally raised concerns about Leeds General Infirmary because of preliminary data suggesting high mortality, concerns about staffing levels, whistleblowing information from clinicians, and complaints from patients.
– Mike Bewick, Deputy Medical Director of NHS EnglandA second stage of the review is underway in which we now need to explore some of the wider issues around how the unit operates as a whole. I hope we will soon be able to give the unit a full clean bill of health beyond this immediate reassurance of safety.
Throughout this process our sole concern has been the safety of patients this is why we paused surgery and after assurances why we allowed surgery to re-start.”
Calls for Boyle to step down from surgery review post
Local MPs in Leeds have called for Sir Roger Boyle to leave his role on the children's heart surgery review:
Bruce Keogh calls on Roger Boyle to step down from his role on the children's heart surgery review. Health Secretary must now respond.
From @hilarybennmp on Twitter:It is now clear that #SirRogerBoyle is carrying out a cynical vendetta, he must be relieved from all NHS roles immediately, clear misconduct
From @GregMulholland1 on Twitter:Leeds heart unit doctors "very angry"
A senior doctor at the Leeds General Infirmary children's heart unit says she and many of her colleagues are "very angry" at the way the unit has been treated. Children's heart surgery was suspended at Leeds on Thursday, amid claims of high death rates.
But doctors at the unit have told ITV News Calendar that the data used to halt operations is incomplete and inaccurate.
– ELSPETH BROWN, CONSULTANT IN CHILDREN'S CARDIOLOGY, LEEDS"We very much feel that this has been targeted at us and it feels very much like we're under fire - and myself and many of my colleagues are very angry about this."
Decision to suspend heart surgery 'smacks of arrogance'
The Liberal Democrat MP for Leeds North West has called for resignations over the decision to suspend children's heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary.
Greg Mulholland said the chair of the Joint Primary Care Trust and, Sir Neil McKay, and the NHS medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh, should quit.
In a statement on his website he said:
This smacks of the extraordinary arrogance displayed throughout this process ...
– Greg Mulholland, mp for leeds north westTo have arrived in Leeds and done this, without warning, just one day after the decision to close the Leeds unit was proved in a court of law to have been unlawful beggars belief; to do it the day before a double bank holiday weekend when parliament is in recess is both revealing and scandalous.
Many people believe that this is just a cynical attempt to circumvent the clear ruling of the court and the concern is for the children lined up for surgery and the distress this will cause them and their families.