Heart surgery nurses say they won't move

Nurses at the Leeds General Infirmary say they would not move to another centre should children’s heart surgery be forced to close.

In a survey of 50 nurses, on the paediatric cardio-thoracic ward and children’s cardiac intensive care unit, 98% of them said family commitments, financial constraints, travel distance and friends in the area would mean they would not be prepared to move.

The NHS Safe and Sustainable review into children’s heart surgery provision in the UK concluded in July that surgery at Leeds would end leaving parents and patients to travel to centres in Newcastle, Liverpool and Birmingham for surgery.

The nursing staff are concerned that ending surgery at the unit will be harmful to the network in which they work.