PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
FUTURE OF CHILDREN'S HEART SURGERY REVIEW (17 April 2013)

That this House notes that the recent independent assessment of the Leeds Children's Heart Surgery Unit found no evidence of significant safety concerns in surgical care in the Unit or referral to other units and that assessors noted a number of very positive aspects of practice in the service provided there; further notes that surgery was suspended at Leeds a day after the NHS lost a judicial review against its decision to end children's heart surgery at the unit; further notes that the mortality data used to justify the suspension has been found to be totally unreliable and that the head of the body responsible for the data said he was appalled at the way the figures had been used and that the action taken by NHS bosses rings of politics rather than proper process; further notes that complaints about the service at Leeds were made by those with a vested interest in seeing the unit close; further notes that the Safe and Sustainable Review has now largely been discredited by being heavily influenced by the bias against Leeds displayed by Professor Sir Roger Boyle and by the High Court verdict that it was unfair and unlawful; therefore calls on the Secretary of State to ensure the future of children's heart surgery is resolved as quickly as possible by ensuring that NHS England does not appeal against the judicial review decision and considers that if an appeal has already been lodged, it should be withdrawn; and believes that the optimum solution for patients and their families across Yorkshire, the Humber and the North East of England is to retain both the Leeds and Newcastle units.

Sponsored by:
Fabian Hamilton (Labour)