Complex heart surgery to move
NHS bosses have today confirmed plans to move complex heart surgery out of Greater Manchester.
The ‘most specialist’ services for adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) will now be delivered by the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Liverpool Women’s Hospital and Royal Liverpool Hospital, which have been commissioned to serve the north west.
Manchester Royal Infirmary will offer ‘Level 2’ care for adults – which includes procedures such as repairing a ‘hole in the heart,’ along with outpatient clinics, specialist maternity care, and some cardiac interventional procedures.
Paediatric surgery for congenital heart disease will continue at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
Wythenshawe Hospital will no longer offer ‘Level 2’ care.
The announcement comes following reviews into CHD services which resulted in new and higher standards for hospitals carrying out such surgery being published by NHS England.
Any hospital that does not currently meet these standards must either show that they have a programme to do so and meet strict milestones, or stop providing treatment.
According to the NHS, patients have already benefitted from the move, which has seen the implementation of a full out-of-hours service, seven-day cover across the country and safer practice with procedures only being carried out by specialists.
Professor Robert Pearson, medical director of Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust MFT welcomed the plans saying they ‘set out a clear direction for stabilising and keep- ing congenital heart disease services in the north west.’
He said: “Our continuing priority is to ensure that patients with congenital heart disease continue to receive the appropriate level of safe, high quality care. The interim arrangements that are currently in place in Manchester to support adult patients who require surgery or complex interventional procedures will continue until the specialist adult surgical service is established in Liverpool.”
In June, the M.E.N. revealed how the Manchester Royal Infirmary had abruptly ended all complex CHD surgery, meaning some people awaiting operations were forced to travel miles to London, Leeds and Newcastle for treatment.