David speaks out about Leeds heart unit closure plans
Bradford MP David Ward will speak in a Parliamentary Debate on the future of the Leeds Children's Heart Surgery unit today. David will raise flaws in the Safe and Sustainable Review process, including a failure to adequately consult Bradford communities.
Last week, the Secretary of State ordered the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) to undertake a "full" review of the Safe and Sustainable Review process which recommended that the Leeds Unit should be closed. Families in Yorkshire will in future be expected to travel to Newcastle for life saving surgery.
Campaigners are fighting to ensure that the IRP's review takes into account grave methodological flaws in the reconfiguration process, including an inadequate consultation and failure to take into account evidence that a majority of Bradford residents will not be prepared to travel north to Newcastle.
Commenting David said:
"This decision affects everybody in Bradford but some of the city's most vulnerable communities will be particularly hard hit.
"Serious concerns have been raised in relation to the Safe and Sustainable Review process, and these should now be fully investigated. The consultation process was flawed and did not adequately engage with the communities which are most dependent on the Leeds unit.
"The review's recommendations were also based on the idea that Bradford families would chose to travel to Newcastle once the Leeds unit closed. Anyone who knows the area will tell you that people are far more likely to travel to Liverpool and this is backed up by independent studies.
"We must not give up the fight. There is a strong case for keeping the Leeds unit open and we need to make sure that the needs of Bradford residents are heard in this debate."