Court of appeal rules against judicial review of NHS plans to cut hospital's unit, which trust argued was illegal
The Royal Brompton hospital is campaigning to keep its paediatric heart surgery unit. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA Archive
Children's heart surgery may stop at the Royal Brompton in London after the hospital failed to have the courts reject NHS reorganisation plans as illegal.
A decision by the court of appeal is a blow to doctors and managers at the Brompton – and the patients and families who supported them in their campaign to keep paediatric heart surgery. An NHS review had decided that London would be best served with two children's heart surgery units instead of three. The plans, as yet unconfirmed, would keep heart surgery at Great Ormond Street and Evelina Children's hospital, but close the Brompton unit.
In a statement, the trust said it was disappointed but still hoped the joint committee of primary care trusts (JCPCT), which drew up the Safe and Sustainable NHS plans, would reconsider.
"The trust took this legal action on behalf of patients and their families. It was action of the last resort and taken with a heavy heart, after a number of attempts to settle the matter at an earlier stage failed. But it was taken because we remain convinced that there is a vital role for specialist cardiac and respiratory care for children and older patients to be fully integrated in a specialist trust such as ours, which works with the significant research power of our partner Imperial College," the statement said.
"We remain convinced that our highly respected services for patients in England and Wales will be harmed if our unit is dismantled as a consequence of the Safe and Sustainable process to date. We believe that the JCPCT's recommended four options – none of which includes Royal Brompton – distorted the consultation process."
Source : The Guardian
