To be shocked and horrified re Leeds paediatric cardiac surgery?

[NorthernLurker]

I live near Leeds and my daughter has a congenital heart defect. hankfully she has not required surgery, nor should she, but of course I have taken a strong interest in the review of cardiac surgery centres and the subsequent campaign to keep surgery in Leeds. My view has always been that centralisation of services was a good idea. I found the persistence of the campaign to keep the service quite frustrating and I thought the involvement of high profile people such as John Sentamu misjudged BUT I never thought that the service offfered was anything less than adequate.
Now it seems that it may be otherwise. The statement from the Childrens Heart Foundation (who had longstanding concerns about outcomes) says 'it appears that managers and clinicians in Leeds, together with the parent support group, have put their own interests ahead of the well-being of critically ill children and their very vulnerable parents'. I can't believe this. It's 20 years since Bristol showed us that self interest and arrogance can cost us the lives of children. How is it even possible that this may be the case here too? I can't believe that there are parents in this county today mourning tehir dcs who will now be asking themselves if they had gone to another hospital would their child be alive? On Monday this week Leeds announced that a cardiac surgeon had stopped operating but absolutely refuted this was becaouse of morbidity and mortality. Now this. I am furious.
CHF link here

and BBC

And you belive his because?

Does it not seem strange to you that, whenever the question has been asked before, the answer has always come back that Leeds was safe. Now, as soon as the campaign is won suddenly it's decided investigations need to be made. Bit suspicious I think, as does the local MP and others.

I cannot agree with you with regards to the closure either.

I am sorry I have not followed the Leeds case particularly, but
I always have a niggle at the back of my mind when I see reports based on patient outcomes. The reality is that some children do have very complex conditions and even with the best surgery and aftercare in the world they do not make it. So if you look at purely at outcomes, without comparing the actual severity of the individual child's condition, then no hospital is going to come out well. My DD had heart surgery as a child and I had to put my faith in the surgeons,regardless of statistics on outcomes. We had no other choice.

Therefore I think that this does not necessarily reflect the quality of heart surgery at Leeds, and I too am suspicious over the timing.

Very suspicious timing was my 1st thought on this also.

Far from being assured that Leeds was 'safe' there have been long standing concerns. In the wake of the campaign to keep the unit there have been suggestions that patients who should have been referred elsewhere, have not been and the CHF raised that with the CQC earlier this year here. I think a lot of people have been terribly betrayed.

I'm all about Newcastle Freeman so I've been following. Even I was 'OMG suspicious timing!' But now the most I read about the on going concerns about mortality rates and allegedly refusing to refer to the Freeman I believe it.

The fact they had a meeting where evidence was presented an the children's heart foundation were involved - concluding with the Leeds trust themselves suspending services - it's all a bit concerning

I just hope the Freeman stays open

I agree. There is NO way Leeds would have suspended the service if they could possibly have avoided doing so.

Surgical outcomes tables are now risk-weighted I think.

They are only submitted once/year so there can be a bit of wait to unearth a problem.

V v suspicious timing so I am reserving judgement

V v suspicious timing so I am reserving judgement