SOUTHAMPTON General Hospital’s children’s congenital heart unit has been saved from closure this evening.
Under proposals, the heart unit faced closure following a review conducted by the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts. Closure would have meant Island youngsters travelling to Bristol or London for their much needed treatment, instead of the short journey across the Solent.
A petition erupted local support in 2011 when over 230,000 people signed to save the unit, which has today led to success.
The news has been very much welcomed by Island patients and their families after a long day waiting for the decision, which was originally due at 15:00.
The Island’s MP, Andrew Turner, said: “This is absolutely the right decision. I know people elsewhere in the country will be disappointed – but the needs of Isle of Wight residents had to be properly taken into account. Travel times from the Island played a significant role in the final decision to keep Southampton open. Being separated from the mainland presents particular challenges and this was recognised by the review team. Southampton is also ranked as the second best centre in the country, after Guys in London – so any decision other than to keep it open would have been perverse.
“It is almost unbelievable that in the preparatory work for this review the fact that the Isle of Wight is an island was overlooked – there is a clue in the name after all! I am afraid this process has caused a great deal of concern and unnecessary worry to the families of very poorly children. If the background research had been done properly closure of the Southampton centre may never even have been suggested. Notwithstanding that, I am glad the review team has looked again at the facts and carefully considered the needs of Island residents into account, albeit rather late in the day. I am very pleased they reached the right conclusion.
“Congratulations are due to Helen Laverty who worked so hard and all the other campaigners on the Island and elsewhere who fought to keep the Southampton centre open.”
Speaking after the announcement that the Southampton unit had been saved in the review, Cllr Cousins, who has supported local residents in their battle to keep Southampton open, said: “This is tremendous news both for all those who use this excellent centre now and all those who may have to use it in the future.
“We were very concerned that had Southampton closed, the extra travel time for young Island patients and their parents would have been intolerable and possibly dangerous.
“We are told that this issue of travel times had been a factor that was taken into account during the decision-making process. I am delighted the whole council played a full part in the campaign to keep this excellent, much-loved and much-needed centre on our doorstep.”
