Children's heart unit review

There is fresh hope tonight for campaigners opposed to the planned closure of the children's heart surgery unit at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

The Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has ordered a rethink after independent experts ruled that the original review process was "flawed".

It's a decision welcomed by families and their supporters. Our political correspondent Alison Mackenzie reports.

Adam Tansey, whose three-year-old son relies on the Glenfield children's heart unit, said it was "good news" that plans to close Glenfield children's heart unit had been suspended.

Lead cardiologist for East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre Dr Aidan Bolger is hopeful that the Glenfield children's heart unit can be saved.

Save Our Surgery activist and former patient Joe Barry, 16, said he was glad about the decision to suspend the closure of his local heart unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

"If I was born and this unit wasn't here I wouldn't have survived [the journey] to Newcastle," he said.

"It saved my life and I can't let this happen to anyone else.

"The news today, it's great. All the things that we've put forward to have a look at, it's all happening. After three years of fighting they're finally listening to us."

Lisa Rushworth, whose son Jack was treated at Leeds, said she hoped the hospital would now have a chance to make its case based "on more statistics and actual facts".

Jack, 11, said: "They've looked after me really well."

Members of the Save Our Surgery campaign group have welcomed the decision not to close a childrens' heart unit in Leeds.

Spokeswoman Sharon Cheng said that the Health Secretary's comments earlier today "completely vindicated" the stand taken by the group:

Health Minister Anna Soubry MP is not sure that the suspension of the review into Glenfield Hospital's children's heart unit is "a matter of celebration". She said that this came about because "people raised concerns of varying levels" about the "flawed" process.

She did not promise that Glenfield would retain it's children's heart surgery. But she said she hoped that whatever decision was made it was done in "the best possible way", with the "best evidence" and with "transparency".

Campaigners demanding that their local children's heart surgery hospitals in England remain open won a partial victory today as the Health Secretary suspended a controversial review.

Jeremy Hunt admitted the initial decision to close units in Leeds, London and Leicester was based on faulty data.

But he said the review would be revisited and that some services would still have to shut.

ITV News reporter Martha Fairlie explains more:

NHS England welcomed Jeremy Hunt's decision to suspend planned closures of three children's heart surgery units and promised to lead plans to rethink how care can be improved.

Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, Medical Director for NHS England said:

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was clear the clinical case for changes to how children's heart surgery units are run remains, despite today's suspension of plans to close three units.

Speaking to the House of Commons, Mr Hunt said the independent review he instigated, following complaints from units where closure was recommended, still stressed the "case for change."

Read: Plans to close children's heart surgery units suspended

Shortly before the announcement by the Health Secretary, Liz Kendall MP questioned David Cameron about Glenfield Hospital's children's heart unit.