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Greg Mulholland-Working Hard For Leeds North WestMulholland calls for statement from Secretary of State on outcome of Safe and Sustainable review
June 28, 2012 6:05 PM
Member of Parliament for Leeds North West Greg Mulholland, has today, on the floor of the House of Commons, called for a statement from the Secretary of State for Health, following the publication of the Safe and Sustainable review into children's congenital cardiac services in England, given the lack of confidence in the process and how the review has been conducted.
Greg highlighted the publication of a document that suggested that even now, just days before the final decision, the Price Water House Cooper independent analysis of patient flow is not being taken into account. The document seems to suggest that some units that the independent analysis said would not meet the 400 minimum procedures, will.
Greg has previously raised a number of concerns with the process, most recently with comments by Chair of the Joint Committee of PCTs, Sir Neil McKay, who said that he can give no assurance that the clinical standards deemed necessary for a safe and sustainable unit, notably the minimum of 400 surgical procedures per year, will be upheld when the Review makes its final recommendations. This is despite assurances from Health Minister Simon Burns, in an adjournment debate that the clinical standard requiring all units to be able to carry out a minimum of 400 surgical procedures per year and ideally 500 per year was "based on the level of activity needed to provide good-quality care around the clock while enabling on-going training and mentoring of new surgeons."
Mulholland has therefore called for a statement from the Secretary of State for Health, following the announcement of the outcome of the review, given the lack of confidence in the process.
Greg commented:
"Given the considerable concern and the complete lack of confidence in the Safe and Sustainable Review process, it is only right that the Secretary of State makes a statement following the announcement on the final decision on Wednesday next week
"This latest document suggests, even now, proper account is not being taken of the independent report by Price Water House Cooper into patient flow. The document still seems to show that a number of centres that the report demonstrated would not achieve the minimum 400 procedures, would.
"The 400 annual procedures threshold has been one of the founding principles of the Safe and Sustainable Review. To ignore this threshold, when the JCPT makes its final decision on July 4th, would undermine the whole basis of the Review
"If the 400 threshold is no longer the required standard, there appears to be little point in the Review taking place at all and must therefore be urgently looked at again before the JCPCT come forward with their final decision.