MP calls for fresh look at vascular services

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt last week u-turned over closing three units in the country and announced he had suspended the plans because they were ‘flawed’.

The move, which shares similarities to proposals for vascular services where selected hospitals would become vascular specialist centres, led to Labour MP Mrs Jones questioning whether it was another case of ‘flawed decision making’.

During a Commons debate last week, she said: “Now that we have had a chance to digest the latest report on children’s heart surgery and the flawed decision making to which it draws attention, may we have a debate on the quality of decision making in the NHS as a whole?

“That would give us an opportunity to debate further issues such as the removal of vascular services from Warrington hospital on very flawed evidence.”

The decision was made last year that patients requiring complex surgery would be sent to the Countess of Chester Hospital, rather than Warrington Hospital, which would become a vascular specialist centre.

Health officials proposed the changes to improve the skills of specialist surgeons but the plans were strongly opposed by a number of councillors in the area.

An NHS England spokesman said the vascular network are currently ‘working through their implementation plan’ for the centre which is expected to be open in October.

Former health secretary Andrew Lansley said he was aware of the vascular services decision but would not comment on it.

He added: “It is clear that in future NHS England will have a responsibility for commissioning these national specialised services across the country instead of the joint committee of primary care trusts from all over England that did it in the past.

“That is much clearer and much more straightforward and I hope that NHS England will demonstrate a greater degree of consistency in decision making as a consequence.”