Press Release
Wednesday 06 April 2011
MP Greg Hands met patients and their families, during a visit to Royal Brompton Hospital to hear about the impact of removing children’s cardiac surgery and the threat to ground-breaking paediatric work.
Mr Hands, MP for Chelsea and Fulham, met patients and their families during a tour of the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and Rose Ward. Chief executive Bob Bell, and Trust chairman, Sir Robert Finch welcomed the MP, following last month’s recommendations from the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) that children’s heart surgery at Royal Brompton should be discontinued. The proposals, as part of the ‘Safe and Sustainable’ review, come despite a report which put the hospital joint fourth out of ten in a national assessment of all children’s heart surgery centres in England.
Mr Hands said: “I was very impressed with what I saw. I was obviously aware that Royal Brompton offers specialist care for those with heart and lung conditions, but I found meeting patients and their families very informative and incredibly moving. I was only up on the wards for half an hour but even in that time was struck by how well everything seemed to be organised, and how highly parents spoke of the treatment their children receive.”
Mr Hands heard about the hospital’s award-winning SPRinT programme, which uses simulation babies, crash trolleys and ventilation equipment to demonstrate how multi-disciplinary colleagues can work together to resuscitate infants. He met director of children’s services Dr Duncan Macrae, paediatric cardiac surgeon Mr Olivier Ghez, consultant paediatric intensivist and director of PICU, Dr Joan La Rovere and Professor of Paediatric Respirology, Andrew Bush.
Georgia Beazley, 14, has cystic fibrosis and is currently being cared for on Rose Ward. Her mother Leigh said: “Royal Brompton is well worth the three hour round trip as you just can’t get this specialised care from our local hospitals. It’s like Disneyland – no stone is left unturned!
“Whenever she’s in our local hospital they just spend all their time on the phone asking Royal Brompton what to do, so we prefer to actually be here, where everyone knows what to do. The support is great, we are able to meet other families and Georgia has some lessons here with a laptop for her schoolwork and for social networking.”
Chinenye Ashiegbu’s daughter Gabriella has just had complex heart surgery. She said: “The service here is fantastic, the nurses and doctors are so kind and helpful. They keep you updated and explain everything to you – and they have looked after me too, providing accommodation so I can be close to my daughter. It makes me feel as if I am at home. The children here are in good hands, people can rest assured they have nothing to fear. If they take away this service I don’t know what we will do.”
The visit from Mr Hands follows London Mayor Boris Johnson’s decision to meet Royal Brompton Hospital supporters. He heard how the proposal to stop children’s cardiac surgery threatens many patients living with serious conditions, during Mayor’s Question Time. London Assembly Members are also writing to the Health Secretary about the review.
The Trust has issued legal proceedings against the JCPCT in respect of the proposal to end paediatric cardiac surgery at Royal Brompton Hospital. The Trust’s board believes that the recommended options put to public consultation are fundamentally flawed, such that a consultation based on them would be unlawful. The Trust is applying for judicial review, challenging the legality of the consultation.
Ends
For further information, please contact:
Jessica Mangold,
Head of Media Relations
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust
Tel: 020 7351 8672 (Brompton), Tel: 01895 828 877 (Harefield)
Mobile: 07866 536 345
Email: J.Mangold@rbht.nhs.uk
Notes to editors:
Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust is a national and international specialist heart and lung centre based in Chelsea, London and Harefield, Middlesex. The Trust helps patients from all age groups who have heart and lung problems and is the country's largest centre for the treatment of adult congenital heart disease.
