A HIGH Court judge's decision to overturn plans to close Leeds children's heart unit have been welcomed by local campaigners.
The Hon Justice Nichola Davies has ruled the National Commissioning Board (NCB) – a new body replacing the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) – must now redo part of the decision- making process.
Leeds had been one of three children's heart units to be closed after last year's Safe And Sustainable NHS review.
As reported on www.thisisgrimsby.co.uk, the decision came yesterday afternoon, following the Grimsby Telegraph-backed Save Our Surgery campaign against the JCPCT's original plan.
Mrs Davies said the JCPCT's consultation and decision- making process had been flawed and branded its assessment of quality of services as unfair and unlawful.
She added the NCB must now reconsider and ask questions about the quality scores and how they were arrived at, including issues of travel and access.
Mrs Davies has also asked the IRP to continue its independent review and report back to the Secretary of State by the end of April, as originally planned.
Joanne Rilatt, whose son Benjamin was treated at the unit, said while they "aren't out of the woods yet" the decision was a "positive step".
She said: "We have all raised our voices and concerns about why Leeds needs to stay open.
"It just goes to show our voices are being listened to, which helps you stay positive."
SOS spokeswoman Sharon Cheng said: "We are extremely pleased and relieved the unfair and flawed decision to stop surgery in Yorkshire and the Humber has been quashed.
"We now call on the decision makers to reflect that by engaging with us to ensure the final outcome is the correct one for children across the country."
Campaigners have also asked the NCB to consider the reliability of the data originally used and what the material differences are between closely ranked centres.
They also hope the body will give weight to factors such as travel and access for patients, co-location of vital services, strength of cardiac care network and financial viability.
