Children’s heart care moves to £14.5m unit
SERVICES HAD BEEN AT RISK OF CLOSURE
CHILDREN’S heart services have moved from Glenfield Hospital to a new £14.5 million, purpose-built facility at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
The East Midlands Congenital Heart Centre (EMCHC), which has provided a vital service for children with heart-related conditions across the East Midlands, was previously threatened with closure, but was saved from the axe following a longrunning campaign by service users, staff and members of the public.
It has now been moved into the infirmary’s Kensington building, much to the delight of the families who need its internationallyrenowned services.
The new facility has been partfunded by the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and made possible thanks to donations to Leicester Hospitals Charity.
Other children’s services will be moving into the same building and the trust hopes the changes mean it will meet the strict standards set by NHS England for surgical congenital heart services.
The new space will include a cardiac ward, outpatient and diagnostic department, cardiac paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), cardiac theatre, catheter lab, as well as parents’ accommodation, allowing families to receive the best possible care in the region.
Andrew Furlong, medical director at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, said: “Making improvements to our children’s services has remained a priority for the Trust despite the many challenges of the last two years.
“So, to finally be in a position to announce the opening of the new EMCHC facility at Leicester Royal Infirmary after securing the investment is fantastic; even more so we can now call this a permanent home for this fantastic regional service.”
Dr Aidan Bolger, head of service for EMCHC, said it was critical the service was the best it could be. He said: “We’ve now transformed the service in the way we said we would when we prevented its closure in 2017, something only made possible with the passionate support of our patients, their families and the pubknowing lic. The move to Leicester Royal Infirmary enables us to reach for that next level of excellence in care, improving the experience for patients and their families when they need us most.
“We are all incredibly proud to have delivered a new space where a child can walk through the door knowing they are being treated in a place just for them.”
With state-of-the-art technology and new opportunities for learning and staff developments, Dr Bolger said the facility has a prospect for attracting some of the best medical talent from across the country - “a fantastic legacy for the people of East Midlands and beyond”.
He added: “In recognising this wonderful achievement, a special thank you must go to the Leicester
Hospitals Charity and all the other charitable organisations and donors who so generously supported this project. It has truly been a team effort.”
Stephen Woolfe, chairman of Leicester Children’s Appeal, said: “This is a moment of true celebration that everyone should feel very proud of.
“The millions of pounds in donations we have received show how much the people of Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and the wider East Midlands care about giving all of our children the new hospital they deserve.
“We are deeply grateful to all of the families, businesses and community groups who have contributed towards helping us get to this tremendous fundraising target.”