Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem leader on the London Assembly, has backed an Assembly motion warning that closing the children’s heart surgery unit at the Royal Brompton Hospital will have serious consequences for people with heart and lung conditions.
The motion, passed unanimously by Assembly Members, says closing the paediatric cardiac surgery unit at the hospital will adversely affect patients with a range of serious conditions, including cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Ending children’s cardiac surgery will lead to the closure of the paediatric intensive care unit, as it will no longer be viable.
Caroline Pidgeon commented:
The decision to close such a high-performing centre simply makes no sense. It fails to take into account the impact on people treated there, and the knock-on effects the loss of a specialist unit has on the other health services that work alongside it.
The Royal Brompton has put forward an alternative proposal to join up its services with similar centres at two other London hospitals. Surely this is a more sensible option than just closing this life-saving centre.