Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the clinical evidence basis is that patient services will be improved as a result of the proposed closure of congenital heart disease services at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust. In its work on the CHD standards, NHS England considered a broad range of determinants that contribute to excellent outcomes. Outcomes will be improved when care is provided by a centre that is able to meet the standards carefully developed by clinical experts and patients, and on which NHS England has already consulted.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proposals NHS England has made for the replacement of paediatric respiratory services currently provided at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.
The particular circumstances at the Royal Brompton mean that NHS England’s CHD proposals would, if implemented, have an impact on the Trust’s paediatric respiratory service. NHS England has therefore formed a specialist panel to review the potential impact of the CHD proposals on paediatric respiratory services at the Royal Brompton.
If a decision is taken to stop commissioning children’s CHD surgical services, NHS England will work with the Trust to manage the impact on paediatric respiratory services.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of NHS England’s proposal to close congenital heart disease services at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease service at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the potential number of qualified medical staff who might leave the NHS as a result of the proposed closure of congenital heart disease services at the Royal Brompton Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No decision has been made to close the Congenital Heart Disease service at the Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust.
Asked by: Roger Gale (Conservative - North Thanet)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the speech by Simon Stevens, CEO, NHS England on 4 June 2014, if he will call in and review the decision taken by the East Kent Hospitals University Foundation Trust to transfer community services currently based at the Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital Herne Bay to the Estuary View Medical Practice in Whitstable.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The reconfiguration of local health services is the responsibility of the local National Health Service, led by clinicians, and should be in the best interests of patients. Any reconfiguration proposed has to ensure that it shows support from general practitioner commissioners, strengthened public and patient involvement, clarity on the clinical evidence base and consistency with current and prospective patient choice.
East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) and NHS Canterbury and Coastal Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are leading plans to consolidate outpatient sites from 15 locations down to six, and conducted public consultation on plans between December 2013 and March 2014. We understand EKHUFT's board approved these proposals on 27 June 2014.
These changes do not affect the future of any community hospitals in Kent. NHS England confirms the NHS Canterbury and Coastal CCG Governing Body met on the 2 July 2014 and approved EKHUFT's move to implement new ways of working in an outpatient setting, including the reduction of specialist acute outpatient clinics from 15 sites down to six sites, and the choice of Estuary View Medical Centre as the centralised site for specialist acute outpatient services on the north Kent coast.