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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Children's heart surgery decision quashed | Children's heart surgery decision quashed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A decision to stop children's heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary has been quashed by a High Court judge. | A decision to stop children's heart surgery at Leeds General Infirmary has been quashed by a High Court judge. |
| The ruling comes after an NHS review said that surgery should stop at hospitals in Leeds, Leicester and London to focus care at fewer, larger sites. | |
| Earlier this month, the judge ruled the consultation process which led to the decision was unfair and legally flawed. | Earlier this month, the judge ruled the consultation process which led to the decision was unfair and legally flawed. |
| It is not yet clear whether there are implications for the other hospitals. | It is not yet clear whether there are implications for the other hospitals. |
| 'Ill-judged' | |
| In July the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) said children's heart surgery would end at Leeds General Infirmary, Glenfield Hospital in Leicester and London's Royal Brompton, and treatment would instead be concentrated at seven specialist centres. | |
| Those centres would be Great Ormond Street in London, Evelina Children's Hospital, also in London, Newcastle's Freeman Hospital, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Alder Hey in Liverpool, the Royal Children's Hospital in Bristol and Southampton General. | |
| Mrs Justice Nicola Davies said aspects of the Leeds consultations were "ill judged", including a failure to make relevant information available to consultees. | |
| It does not mean that the NHS will have to begin the whole consultation process again, as the judge stressed she was only quashing "one part" of the decision. | |
| 'Consistently ignored' | |
| The group Save Our Surgery (SOS) has been fighting to keep the Leeds unit open and brought the case to the High Court. | |
| Sharon Cheng from SOS said: "Today's judgement vindicates our decision to pursue this case through the courts. | |
| "We brought this case on behalf of the families and patients of our region whose genuine concerns about the review had been consistently ignored by the NHS. | |
| "We now call on the decision makers to reflect that by engaging with us to ensure the final outcome is the correct one for children across the country." | |
| Following the judgement Southampton General Hospital moved to reassure families that they will continue to "provide children from across the south of England with a high quality, high performing service which will continue to expand and grow over the coming weeks and months". |