Leeds General Infirmary is currently one of 10 specialist centres across England which carries out children’s heart surgery, with over 250 children each year benefiting from life-saving surgery in Leeds.

The Safe and Sustainable review commissioned by the NHS has come up with four options for the future configuration of the service across the country, based on the principle of concentrating expertise by reducing the number of centres nationally to 6 or 7.

Keeping the Leeds centre is only in one of the four options (Option D) being considered in the national consultation, which took place from mid-February until 1 July 2011. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been pressing hard for this option.

The Children’s Heart Surgery Fund has been spearheading a campaign across Yorkshire, Northern Lincolnshire and North Derbyshire to retain and expand services in Leeds for the huge geographical population the unit at Leeds General Infirmary serves.

They organised a hugely successful petition containing over 500,000 signatures, which was handed in at 10 Downing Street in late June by campaigners and a cross-party group of MPs.

The charity also has an active Facebook group and has organised a wide range of other events to gather support right across the region. Please visit their website by clicking here.

A response to the public consultation from Safe and Sustainable is not expected until the end of 2011. For the latest information please visit their website by clicking here.