Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:24 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

Would this be the same "concerned" surgeon from Newcastle Freeman who sat on the original JCPCT decision, despite the massive conflict of interest?

You mean the only serving surgeon on the committee currently employed at one of the hospitals under review ?

Well it could be that one but as the "agitated surgeon" is being kept anonymous we may never know, if it is him though then when the new review gets back under way (which it has to, but legally this time and at more public expense) and if he isn't back on the panel then that might be a clue, and if he is back on the panel then I expect Leeds' three MPs will be out for blood, they ain't very happy at the moment

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:37 pm  

I thought we were supposed to be encouraging whistleblowers. Erring on the side of caution. Or was that just last week's fad?

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:55 pm  

Cibaman wrote:

I thought we were supposed to be encouraging whistleblowers. Erring on the side of caution. Or was that just last week's fad?

Closing down heart surgery on incorrect and misleading data, thus putting lives at risk, is not erring on the side of caution. Why not close down all hospitals in case someone dies?

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Tue Apr 02, 2013 8:58 pm  

Cibaman wrote:

I thought we were supposed to be encouraging whistleblowers. Erring on the side of caution. Or was that just last week's fad?

If you set aside the underlying and more obvious feeling that this wasn't just ill timed but deliberate, and it may just have been ill timed, and then listen to Keogh's interview from Friday you see or hear a public servant who is scared to death of making an error of judgement, its his call and its his head on the block, someone has referred him to a set of data that appears to tell a story (but has subsequently been proved to be misleading) and now he alone is responsible for what happens if the data proves to be correct.

The "whistleblower" may have a vested interest or may have just uncovered the data by coincidence on the same day that they lost the confidence of a high court judge who declared their committee decision illegal, it could all be one big coincidence but that is the problem with whistleblowers, you never really know what their motivation is.

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:52 am  

One of the things about Leeds is they are prepared to take on 'challenging' cases which have by their very nature high risk of failure. Other hospitals would not give the child the chance as it would be detrimental to their success rates. In this case LGI has been treated appallingly - it will now be very difficult for the NHS to close the unit - thankfully.

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:01 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

One of the things about Leeds is they are prepared to take on 'challenging' cases which have by their very nature high risk of failure. Other hospitals would not give the child the chance as it would be detrimental to their success rates. In this case LGI has been treated appallingly - it will now be very difficult for the NHS to close the unit - thankfully.

Those difficult cases also worked against them last Thursday when the unit was closed on a kneejerk as the consultants were accused of failing to pass on cases to other regional units in a "best care" scenario, probably because they already knew that the "best care" was right there in their own unit - it didn't stop a lack of referals appearing in the stats and being misinterpreted though.

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Wed Apr 03, 2013 8:02 am  

http://gregmulholland.org/en/article/2013/676788/reporting-on-the-leeds-children-s-heart-unit And now more dithering...

http://gregmulholland.org/en/article/2013/676788/reporting-on-the-leeds-children-s-heart-unit And now more dithering...

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:32 pm  

Its an open email to subscribers so I'm sure he won't mind sharing it here ... (petition can be signed here) Last week on Thursday the Safe and Sustainable Review’s decision to close Leeds Children’s Heart Unit was ruled unlawful by the High Court. Less than 24 hours after the High Court ruled that the Leeds Children’s Heart Surgery Unit should be kept open, the Clinical Director of NHS England turned up in Leeds and demanded that the unit be closed immediately citing concerns based on unpublished figures. I was stunned and appalled by the extraordinary intervention by the medical director of the NHS, Sir Bruce Keogh and the Care Quality Commission to force suspension of children's heart surgery in Leeds just a day after the courts confirmed the decision of the proposed closure was deemed as illegal. This smacks of the extraordinary arrogance displayed throughout this process by an unelected committee who have consistently failed to justify their decision making, have refused to share information with those who have the duty to hold them to account and have sought to manipulate the facts to suit their preferences and bias. I have called for Sir Bruce Keogh to resign his position in the NHS and for children’s heart surgery to be continued as soon as possible at LGI as the decision to close the unit was based on data that was inaccurate and incomplete. I have also called on the Secretary of State to intervene in this matter. It was reported late last night that the unit was to be opened again but then NHS England seemed to u-turn again and announced that this was not the case. At the moment the Children’s Heart Surgery Unit at LGI remains closed but, along with colleagues from Leeds City Council and other Yorkshire MPs, we are calling for it to be reopened as soon as possible. You can sign the petition calling for Sir Bruce Keogh to be sacked here. Best Wishes, Greg Mulholland MP

Its an open email to subscribers so I'm sure he won't mind sharing it here ... (petition can be signed here) Last week on Thursday the Safe and Sustainable Review’s decision to close Leeds Children’s Heart Unit was ruled unlawful by the High Court. Less than 24 hours after the High Court ruled that the Leeds Children’s Heart Surgery Unit should be kept open, the Clinical Director of NHS England turned up in Leeds and demanded that the unit be closed immediately citing concerns based on unpublished figures. I was stunned and appalled by the extraordinary intervention by the medical director of the NHS, Sir Bruce Keogh and the Care Quality Commission to force suspension of children's heart surgery in Leeds just a day after the courts confirmed the decision of the proposed closure was deemed as illegal. This smacks of the extraordinary arrogance displayed throughout this process by an unelected committee who have consistently failed to justify their decision making, have refused to share information with those who have the duty to hold them to account and have sought to manipulate the facts to suit their preferences and bias. I have called for Sir Bruce Keogh to resign his position in the NHS and for children’s heart surgery to be continued as soon as possible at LGI as the decision to close the unit was based on data that was inaccurate and incomplete. I have also called on the Secretary of State to intervene in this matter. It was reported late last night that the unit was to be opened again but then NHS England seemed to u-turn again and announced that this was not the case. At the moment the Children’s Heart Surgery Unit at LGI remains closed but, along with colleagues from Leeds City Council and other Yorkshire MPs, we are calling for it to be reopened as soon as possible. You can sign the petition calling for Sir Bruce Keogh to be sacked here. Best Wishes, Greg Mulholland MP

[Durham Giant]

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Thu Apr 04, 2013 8:39 am  

Seems like the Guardian has concerns about mortality rates as well http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/ ... e-jeopardy not looking good for Leeds. Have heart surgery and end up with brain damage

Seems like the Guardian has concerns about mortality rates as well http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/ ... e-jeopardy not looking good for Leeds. Have heart surgery and end up with brain damage

Re: NHS Childrens Heart Surgery keep an eye on this bun figh : Thu Apr 04, 2013 12:19 pm  

Having had complicated heart surgery at LGI myself I can only say in my experience the treatment I received was exemplary and no matter how much money I had spent I could not have received a better outcome.