Health: Children's Heart Services

Lord Walton of Detchant Excerpts

Wednesday 12th June 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Walton of Detchant]

My Lords—

[Baroness Northover]

My Lords, I remind noble Lords that these should be brief interventions. We have only had two thus far and we are seven minutes in. I suggest we hear the Bishop, then from these Benches and we try to get around.

--- Later in debate ---

[Earl Howe]

The noble Lord makes another very good point, and Recommendation 3 of the IRP report focuses on that very issue. It says:

“Before further considering options for change, the detailed work on the clinical model and associated service standards for the whole pathway of care must be completed to demonstrate the benefits for patients and how services will be delivered across each network”.

Therefore, that point has been explicitly recognised.

[Lord Walton of Detchant]

My Lords, the noble Earl has explained with his customary clarity the reasons for this further delay. However, surely he would agree that, in the ultimate, the decision that is eventually reached must be based on quality of service and quality of outcomes. This must surely be the guiding principle throughout. I fully appreciate the concerns expressed by the people surrounding the units that were originally marked for closure, but I have to express a personal avuncular interest in Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, which, according to all international comparisons, is producing results in paediatric and adult heart surgery that stand comparison with the best cardiac centres in the world. I know that this further delay is going to cause concern and further damage morale in that unit. I only hope that in the long term it does not have any effect on the efficiency of the service. Let us hope that this review is concluded as quickly as possible.

[Earl Howe]

My Lords, I pay tribute to the work done in Newcastle in this extremely complex area of surgery. The noble Lord knows that hospital better than anyone in this House, and I understand the disappointment felt in Newcastle about this decision. Nevertheless, I would slightly qualify the comment that he made at the beginning. Although I agree that the decision must depend on outcomes and the quality of care, it must also bear in mind the sustainability of the service into the future. While we can recognise good care when we see it now, we must be sure that the service is capable of being sustained on that level into the future.