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Safe and Sustainable

Your comments about our paediatric services

4 July 2012

On Wednesday 4 July, the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) approved a plan to reduce the number of centres offering children’s heart surgery in London from three to two, with specialist heart and lung centre Royal Brompton Hospital, losing out to the Evelina Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children. The decision came as part of a national review of paediatric heart services in England.

The closure of the children’s heart surgery unit at Royal Brompton will also damage specialist services for children with cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and other respiratory illnesses because access to an on-site intensive care unit will no longer be possible.

Read our press release regarding the announcement

We would like to hear from you. Please add your comments about your experiences of our children's services.

Royal Brompton

Sydney Street,
London SW3 6NP
Tel: +44 (0)20 7352 8121

Harefield

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CommentAdded ByTimeReport
Like the many who have expressed here I am extremely grateful for the fabulous services provided by the Pediatric cardiac team. My daughter was diagnosed with a VSD shortly after birth and has been under Dr Slaviks care since then. He has been exceptional and when the time was about right suggested an open heart to close the VSD. This life changing operation was carried out by the most capable Mr Umeura and his team. To me the entire surgical team, the fabulous PICU team, each and every one in ROSE ward are GODSENT! They do such difficult task with so much of ease and humbleness that I have never ever seen before. Please save this service at The Brompton and let them keep making miracles like the way they did in my life. Good luck and all the very best.Madhu Jadhav11/01/2013 22:34:11
We have a 16 year old son who has been fortunate enough to be under the care of the Brompton for his rare muscle condition 'myotubular myopathy' since he was 5 years old. He is also seen at GOSH for neuromuscular input. But we are so grateful to the Brompton for providing consistently exceptional treatment and care which has kept my son well and alive and living life to the full. If it weren't for the amazing team there, I'm sure my son's outcome, and especially following complications with his major spine surgery at another hospital earlier this year, would've been very different. As such, Professor Simmonds and her team quickly intervened and got him back to good health, without invasive treatments and interventions which were 'threatened' by the other hospital. The Brompton Hospital is a place we trust implicitly to treat our son. We cannot thank them enough and dearly hope that he will continue to be seen by the fantastic teams at Brompton for the remainder of his life.Wendy Hughes04/10/2012 17:02:04
Our daughter was diagnosed with a large ASD when she was two. In June this year at the age of four she underwent a catheter procedure during which Dr Rigby and his team managed to close the hole successfully, sparing her the ordeal of open heart surgery. She starts school this September as a healthy, happy little girl with only memories of her incredibly short stay in hospital. Everyone from the play specialists to the nurses and surgeons successfully did their utmost to make her feel relaxed and comfortable and we will always be grateful. It seems ridiculous that this facility is to close.Claire Merritt23/08/2012 19:07:38
I was 22 wks pregnant when my unborn child was diagnosed with the second rarest heart condition, double inlet left ventrical with coraction of the aorta transpositions of the arteras , he was born at 34 wks and taken straight to the royal brompton, he died 3 times but they got him round ever time, he has now had 8 open heart surgerys and 5 pacemakers, he is now 9 years old, thanks to the brompton with out them I wouldn't ave Alfie ? We r all very upset the hospital is going to close.Helen Barber30/07/2012 13:31:11
I am very anxious that the decision to close the heart surgery unit at the Royal Brompton will have incalculably deleterious results for the present cohort of patients and for respiratory patients in general in the future. I remember so well the unstinting and excellent care given to my pupil from North Yorkshire in the 70's and her faith in the efforts of all at the hospital (and at York) to sustain her and her family. This step, while logistically-argued, omits so much of the devotion to care and expertise of the staff at this centre of excellence, whose progress I have followed ever since. Jill Galloway M.A.Mrs Gillian Galloway09/07/2012 12:25:37
I am the parent of a 23 year old daughter who has been under the excellent care of the Brompton since she was just over a day old. She was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries and has had many procedures during her life. It is nothing short of a travesty that this is happening to such a centre of excellence. It is so beneficial to have the continuity of care from paediatrics through to adulthood.Jo Hughes09/07/2012 11:38:36
There are no words that can express the extreme gratitude I feel towards the Royal Brompton Hospital. My grandson was diagnosed with pulmonary artresia shortly after birth and transferred immediately to the Brompton. He underwent his first operation at just 48 hours old. Within the first six weeks of his life he had undergone two five hour operations and a catheter procedure. When he was two and a half years old he underwent open heart surgery and will need further procedures in the future. My daughter is absolutely devasted at the thought of Royal Brompton being shut down. Her faith in the surgeon who has carried out all of my grandson's operations is unquestionable. We owe so much to the Brompton. The support and the care provided not only by the Surgeons and Consultants but also the staff in PICU and Rose Ward is outstanding. My grandson is now 6 years old and plays football and attends a Jujitsu club. He is an outstanding little boy - thank you Royal Brompton for everything you have done.Valerie Davis06/07/2012 11:47:49
My son Kevin has been treated at the Royal Brompton Hospital previously called the Brompton Hospital for 30 years in November. He was born with a ventricle missing and subsequently had 2 open heart ops. He is a bit of a mystery because he manages to work full-time in a manual job and plays football etc. He leads a good life. The care he has received has been beyond excellent. He trusts the doctors at the hospital and when he is in difficulty this is so important. The continuation of his care from a child to an adult at the same hospital meant that a great deal. As parents of patients and the patients need to know how we can make enough noise and fight to defeat the ridiculous decision made on Wednesday to stop operations on children at the Royal Brompton. Let us know what we can do. Jacqueline Marson06/07/2012 10:05:32
Our daughter was diagnosed with CF at birth and has been looked after by the first rate Cystic Fibrosis team. It is hard to put into words the incredible level of care and support we have received. Our daughter won the first race at sports day today, thats how good they are, without the Brompton I'm not even sure she would have made the start line. Jeopardising the paediatric CF unit is an utter disgrace.Jenny Record05/07/2012 16:06:53
Unbeknown to us our son Tom was born with coarctation of the aorta. He was blue lighted to the Brompton at 7 weeks. From the moment of our bewildered arrival to our final discharge the staff team was fantastic. Their skill and humanity gave us comfort and confidence and the combination of location and facilities on site meant that my husband and relatives could easily visit with our two year old daughter and i could stay on site for weeks at a time. Tom is now checked by the same cardiologist every two years and is a healthy 10 year old. It is beyond belief that a highly specialist national centre with a staff team born of years of experience, dedication and skill could be disbanded. It makes no sense and we feel very sad. Lynne Randell05/07/2012 15:00:11