Children's Heart Federation Responds to Bristol Review

PRESS RELEASE

6th March 2008
Embargo: Immediate Release

Children's Heart Federation welcomes the publication this week of the Independent Review of the Congenital and Paediatric Cardiac Services at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children and Bristol Royal Infirmary. Whilst we acknowledge the review as a positive move for the ongoing development of the service, we believe that some of the concerns highlighted within it are indicative of a much wider issue facing children’s heart services throughout the country.

The Kennedy Report published in 2001 following the tragic failures of children’s heart surgery at Bristol, made a number of recommendations about the way all surgical units should be run and for the service as a whole. Many of these recommendations have been adopted leading to great improvements in children’s heart services. However, some of the recommendations have not been fully implemented, in particular those relating to adequate staff numbers and exposure to sufficient patient case loads necessary to ensure the future long-term sustainability of the service.

The new review into the Bristol paediatric cardiac service reveals that, at times, over a third of heart operations have had to be cancelled. This is attributed largely to a shortage of specialist staff as well as poor organisation. Children’s Heart Federation is worried that Bristol is not alone in experiencing these problems. Other units are also experiencing staff shortages and the fear is that in some places there will soon not be enough specialists with adequate experience to perform operations at the current high standard. Anne Keatley-Clarke, Chief Executive of the Children's Heart Federation said, “I’m afraid that if changes to paediatric heart services are not made soon, children with heart conditions will be in danger of being let down by the system. What we are seeing at Bristol is only the tip of the iceberg. If we do not act now, standards will fall and heart children across the country will be at risk”.
 
Many senior policy makers and clinicians agree that changes to paediatric cardiac services are overdue. The delay in making the necessary changes seems to be due to the new NHS commissioning arrangements where the decisions rest with commissioners who are struggling to understand the specialist medical needs of children with heart conditions. Anne Keatley Clarke explains, “Many commissioners are finding it very difficult to work out how best to commission services for paediatric cardiac care. Whilst they are trying to figure it out, the safety of children facing heart surgery is becoming a serious concern”.

Ends

Contact: Press Office 0207 422 0630

Notes to editors

• The Independent Review of the Congenital and Paediatric Cardiac Services at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children & Bristol Royal Infirmary was published on 4th March 08 and can be downloaded at www.ubht.nhs.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/key-publications.html
• The Kennedy Report (2001) was published following the Bristol Inquiry into the tragic failures of children’s heart surgery at Bristol. It set out recommendations to help secure high-quality care for both paediatric cardiac services as well as across the NHS. For more information visit www.bristol-inquiry.org.uk
• Congenital heart conditions are the most common birth defect in the UK, and a leading cause of birth-defect related deaths world-wide. 
• There are about 125,000 young people and adults living with a heart condition.
• The Children`s Heart Federation is an umbrella organisation with 22 member organisations, dedicated to helping children with congenital or acquired heart disease and their families in the UK and Ireland.
• CHF provides information and support through its free infoline 0808 808 5000, open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 5pm, and its website www.chfed.org.uk