It is always so sad to hear that any child has received poor treatment or care whilst in hospital, or from a community medical team. With advancements in treatment, complex though that treatment is, poor care should never be seen.  Issues around failures in the surgery offered by one surgeon at Leeds Royal Infirmary have been headline news over the last week. It highlights to Little Hearts Matter the important responsibility of raising issues of poor care where they are seen, or when concerns are raised by our members.

LHM contacted the CQC and the NHS with concerns about surgery at Leeds in 2013, as well as those more recently investigated in Bristol.

Our aim is always to try and support individual families to get answers to their worries but also to take their collective concerns to people who will review their experiences, and push for change.

We have been in contact with the teams at both Leeds and Bristol on a number of occasions since we raised concerns and we are pleased to see that both units have made changes to the way that they offer their congenital cardiac care now.

As the new Standards of Service are introduced, and changes to the way care is offered to children and adults are again to be consulted on, it is important to ensure that the congenital cardiac service continues to improve. LHM will always strive to support the needs of children and young adults with the most complex of conditions, their needs should always be at the forefront of services as we move forward.