Advice is at hand for heart care dialogue

DROP-IN sessions are in place to guide people through a detailed consultation document on the future of local specialist heart care.

Volunteers are on hand at Leicester Royal Infirmary and Glenfield Hospital to help supporters respond to NHS England and its proposals to shakeup heart disease services in England.

As part of this there are plans to stop high-level surgery at Glenfield’s East Midlands Congenital Heart Disease Centre.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, which runs the unit, is fighting the decision and is urging supporters to make their views known.

However, the consultation is complex and to ensure the trust is given the right backing people are being offered guidance on the most appropriate way to respond.

Trust chief executive John Adler said: “We really need as many people as possible to review the consultation proposals and respond to the consultation questions. This is not a simple case of signing a document - it requires understanding of the proposals and the key issues that we believe will arise should these proposals be implemented.

“Our supporters have kindly agreed to rally troops and help to provide guidance and support to everyone who wishes to respond to the consultation questionnaire.”

Advice is available at Glenfield reception Monday to Thursday between 9am and 4pm and at the restaurant at Leicester Royal Infirmary on a Monday and Wednesday from 9.30am to 12.30pm. The sessions will run until June 2.

Meanwhile the trust continues to have dialogue with NHS England on their proposals and is preparing a more detailed growth plan looking at population increase, advances in medicine and the impact of additional referrals.

Mr Adler said: “We firmly believe that this, along with some very positive support from our network hospitals, will provide NHS England with the reassurance they need regarding future surgical numbers, and we will be encouraging NHS England to work with us to ensure we provide them with any clarification needed.

“As I have mentioned previously our ability to meet the 500 surgical caseload standard by 2021 is now the only standard on which NHS England needs more information so this is obviously being given significant time and focus.”

NHS England has said the unit isn’t likely to perform enough operations to ensure and safeguard quality.