Child heart op units shake-up

Three hospitals where heart operations have saved the lives of hundreds of children are to stop performing them.

The move comes after an NHS review which concluded that expertise was spread too thinly in 10 specialist units in England and should be concentrated in fewer hospitals.

ITV News' Lewis Vaughan Jones reports on which hospitals are affected - and why.

Giles Peek, consultant in cardiothoracic surgery at Glenfield Hospital, has spoken of his "disappointment" at the decision to stop child heart surgery at the hospital.

Sir Neil McKay, chairman of the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, has described the decision to close three of the10 specialist units in England is a "landmark"

He said:

You can find more coverage and reaction to the decision to stop children's heart surgery in Leeds and Leicester on the ITV Calendar and ITV Central websites.

You can watch the announcement to stop child heart surgery at three of the 10 specialist units in England here.

Gareth Owen from ITV Central has tweeted that there have been upsetting scenes at Glenfield hospital as staff and patients were told the Children’s Heart Centre will close.

The seven hospitals where child heart surgery will continue to be performed:

• Great Ormond Street in London
• Evelina Children's Hospital in London
• Freeman Hospital in Newcastle
• Birmingham's Children's Hospital
• Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool
• Royal Hospital for Children in Bristol
• Southampton General Hospital

Bob Bell, chief executive of the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, said:

A spokeswoman for the Royal Brompton in London has said that as a result of the decision for it to stop performing heart surgery on children it will also lose its children's intensive care unit.

Parent Arshad Hussain has given his reaction to the close of the children's heart surgery unit in Leeds.

You can watch his interview on the ITV Calendar website.