Battling to save children’s hospital

MORE than 22,000 people have signed a petition, protesting plans to close Glenfield Hospital’s children’s heart surgery unit.

The decision to stop children’s surgery services at the East Midlands Congential Heart Centre was announced on July 4.

It is one of four hospitals in England which will stop carrying out children’s heart operations as a result of the NHS review.

The unit has the UK’s largest ECMO unit - used to oxygenate the blood of critically ill patients and serves a population of about five million.

It will remain open to diagnose patients and offer non-surgical treatment.

The next nearest similar unit is in Birmingham.

The online petition, which had notched up 22,189 signatures as of yesterday, needs 100,000 to be debated in the House of Commons.

It was set up by campaigner Adam Tansey from Burbage, whose two-year-old son Albert, born with half-a-heart, is currently fighting for his life at Glenfield Hospital. After he was rushed there on Sunday, suffering with chest pains.

A Melton couple, whose daughter Poppy had to undergo dramatic heart surgery 20 days after she was born, have said they will keep fighting to keep the centre open and have signed the petition in protest.

Dani Reid and Craig Woodward of Freeby Close were supported by staff at Glenfield after Poppy was born with a hole in her heart as well as a rare heart condtion.

Poppy, now eight months, was rushed to the heart unit after her birth, where she spent weeks in intensive care before enduring a gruelling eight hour operation to seperate her aorta and pulmonary arteries which were fused together.

She now faces a bright future but will need to undergo further surgery once she outgrows a valve which has been attached to her heart.

Dani said: “We desperatly need to keep this exceptional hospital open, not just for Poppy, but for so many other children who rely on its services.”

Chris Thornborough, Glenfield adult cardiac liason nurse, said: “Patients will suffer if this decision is endorsed by Andrew Landsley, health minister.

“We need 10,000 signatures by July 16 for the issue to receive a parliamentrary debate.

“It takes two minutes to complete but remember to confirm the email sent to you so your signature is registered.”

l Visit the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35788.

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