Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Health and Adult Social Care, providing a review of children’s congenital heart services in England and a report of the public consultation for the Panel to note and to consider whether to submit a further response to the review, attached.

The Panel received and commented on the report of the Executive Director of Health and  Adult Social Care, providing details on the public consultation on 24^th August 2011, the paper from Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust to members of the JCPCT on the retrieval of critically ill children from the Isle of Wight and associated letter from Jeremy Glyde, Safe and Sustainable Programme Director to Sir Neil McKay CB, Chair of the JCPCT regarding the retrieval of critically ill children from the Isle of Wight.  (Copy of the report circulated with the agenda and appended to the signed minutes).

The Panel received a verbal presentation from Michael Marsh, Medical Director, Southampton University Hospitals Trust and Ali Ayres, Director Communications, Southampton University Hospitals Trust providing further information and clarity on the recent public consultation.

The main points from the report and presentation included:-

• Strong support amongst respondents for the key principles.
• Strong support for the need for care in each of the Specialist Surgical Centres.
• Strong agreement that systems should be implemented to improve the collection, reporting and analysis of mortality and morbidity data.
• Option A received the highest level of support from personal respondents as the majority of public were voting for their local centre.
• Option B was the most widely supported across the country, excluding responses from people in the East Midlands and South Central regions, and more organisations supported Option B.
• The letter from the Safe and Sustainable Programme Director to the JCPCT around the emergency retrieval of children from the Isle of Wight strengthened the case for Option B and the secretariat would further advise the JCPCT to take the conclusions about retrievals from the Isle of Wight into account when considering the outcome of the public consultation which would result in rescoring of the options.
• Network maps were now in the process of being discussed by all the Trusts.
• Officers to explore the possibility of including the Channel Islands with the Isle of Wight under the  “retrieval from remote areas” category.

·  The decision would be taken by the JCPC on 15^th December 2011.

·  Thanked the Panel for their support on this issue.

RESOLVED

(i)  that the report and presentation be noted; and

(ii)  that a further response be submitted to the review, to include the following points:-

·  Appropriate weighting be given to professional opinions and results that were skewed as a result of local campaigns be acknowledged and considered appropriately.

·  That quality and excellent care be recognised as the most important principle and standard for the future configuration of services.

·  That detailed responses be considered along side the report and in relation to the Panel’s previous response to the point concerning patient numbers and flows, PICU, interdependences, GUCHD and complex procedures be considered by the JCPCT in their decision making.

·  That the report on the retrieval of critically ill children from the Isle of Wight and the associated letter from Jeremy Glyde be taken into consideration and that Southampton be treated with the same status as Bristol in order for the review to be fair.