For immediate release: 29 July 2010
Oxford to act as warning, says children’s heart charity
The decision to continue with the suspension of surgery at the John Radcliffe Hospital Oxford has to be the safest thing to do, says children’s heart charity Little Hearts Matter. The higher than average number of deaths after operations should have alerted the hospital team to the problems within the unit.
The independent report has highlighted a number of issues within the hospital’s governance and auditing but most seriously within the team’s approach to patient care. It is clear that the previous single surgeon practise is not safe, nor is it advisable that a unit operate on children when their skill levels have not been maintained or updated.
Suzie Hutchinson, Chief Executive, Little Hearts Matter, says
“The thoughts of the Little Hearts Matter team are with the families of the children who sadly lost their lives at the Oxford unit. This must be a very difficult time for them. We hope that the lessons learnt from this tragedy will ensure that a further crisis in care cannot be allowed to happen again. We urge the government to listen to the recommendations for a Safe and Sustainable Service in the future”.
Over ten years ago, the enquiry into the failings of cardiac surgery at Bristol Royal Infirmary put forward a number of recommendations that would ensure that the unnecessary death of children with congenital heart conditions would not happen again.
Had all these recommendations been followed through we might not be reading a report on the failings of another congenital heart unit.
Every child and their family with a heart condition await the recommendations from the Safe and Sustainable Review of services. Local politics and financial constraints must take a back seat as the service strives to ensure that every child in the country can be assured that the hospital where they receive their treatment will only offer the very best as it is their best chance of life.
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Further information:
Emma Pelling, T. 020 7624 7533 M. 07958 558172 e. emma@pellingpr.co.uk
www.lhm.org.uk
Notes to Editors:
Spokespeople from Little Hearts Matter are available for interview, please call the numbers above for more details.
Up to 600 children each year are diagnosed with half a functioning heart, as the heart has failed to grow properly in the womb. These children will die without major surgery within days, or even hours of birth and many will face a heart transplant as they move into their adult life. However, today, there are young people in their late teens and early adulthood thanks to the innovative surgery that has been developed over the last twenty years.