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By The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds - 24th October 2011
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds warns against a reduction in places of paediatric cardiac care for the purpose of saving money.
Paediatric cardiac services are among the most crucial, and harrowing, of NHS services. Children often face long periods in hospital, and some of them have other clinical needs too. Where cardiac services are integrated with other children's provision in the same hospital, children and parents get to know that hospital and its staff.
There has recently been a move to reduce the number of places where paediatric cardiac care is provided. It is not clear whether this is for reasons of medical quality or saving money.
Leeds General Infirmary is among the hospitals providing high-quality paediatric cardiac services. Children from all over Yorkshire benefit from these, excellently integrated with other children's services. It is important that families on low incomes in multi-ethnic West Yorkshire should have easy access to these services.
There is a suggestion that these services be transferred to Newcastle. This would involve the breakup of an effective team with an excellent clinical record in Leeds. Equally importantly, it would mean that access for parents to their children in hospital would be limited.
I am anxious to discover both when decisions are likely to be made, and to what extent Her Majesty's Government agrees that social needs, such as geographical proximity, should be taken into account alongside clinical needs in the making of decisions about paediatric cardiac services.
John Packer is the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds. He entered the House of Lords in 2006.
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