East Midlands MPs unite over plans to stop children's heart surgery in Leicester

Leicester Glenfield Hospital Credit: PA

Twenty three MPs from the East Midlands have written to the Health Secretary to clarify when a decision on the future of Children's Heart Surgery in the East Midlands will be made.

Today (17 July) is the final day of public consultation on the plans to close centres in Leicester Glenfield Hospital and two others in Manchester and London which currently offer surgery.

The letter from Leicester West MP Liz Kendall and her colleagues also asks the Health Secretary to ensure that a meeting between NHS England and University Hospitals Leicester takes place as a matter of urgency to discuss Glenfield’s plan to show how it will meet the required standards to carry out 500 surgical cases a year by 2021.

Liz Kendall said:

The other MPs who have signed the letter are:

  • Edward Argar Member of Parliament for Charnwood

  • Jonathan Ashworth Member of Parliament for Leicester South

  • Keith Vaz Member of Parliament for Leicester East

  • Margaret Beckett Member of Parliament for Derby South

  • Andrew Bridgen Member of Parliament for North West Leicestershire

  • Vernon Coaker Member of Parliament for Gedling

  • Alberto Costa Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire

  • Gloria De Piero Member of Parliament for Ashfield

  • Lilian Greenwood Member of Parliament for Nottingham South

  • Philip Hollobone Member of Parliament for Kettering

  • Robert Jenrick Member of Parliament for Newark

  • Pauline Latham Member of Parliament for Mid Derbyshire

  • Karen Lee Member of Parliament for Lincoln

  • Christopher Leslie Member of Parliament for Nottingham East

  • Nicky Morgan Member of Parliament for Loughborough

  • Toby Perkins Member of Parliament for Chesterfield

  • Alex Norris Member of Parliament for Nottingham North

  • Neil O’Brien Member of Parliament for Harborough

  • Mark Spencer Member of Parliament for Sherwood

  • Maggie Throup Member of Parliament for Erewash

  • David Tredinnick Member of Parliament for Bosworth

  • Heather Wheeler Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire

NHS England said it had received more than 6500 responses as part of the 22 week public consultation in to the plans.

A spokesperson said:

A final decision will be taken at a meeting of the Board of NHS England, held in public.