Ahead of NHS England's forthcoming decision on the future of Glenfield Hospital's Childrens' Heart Unit, Edward has joined with other East Midlands MPs, both Conservative and Labour, in Westminster to reaffirm their shared commitment to fight to keep the unit open.
Edward has been a strong supporter of the campaign to save Glenfield Hospital's Childrens' Heart Unit, which has been led by Leicester West MP, Liz Kendall in whose constituency the hospital sits. Along with MPs of all parties, across the region, he has continued to make the case in Parliament and locally for NHS England to rethink their proposals to close the hospital's Childrens' Heart Unit, supporting the community campaign by patients, local people, and medical professionals which has highlighted the first-class clinical outcomes that the service delivers, and the importance of retaining this specialist centre in our region.
NHS England's decision on the future of the unit, following its recent consultation, is expected imminently.
Edward said: "Since NHS England set out its proposals to close Glenfield's Childrens' Heart Unit, along with other local MPs, I have been clear that they are wrong and have campaigned for them to stop and think again.
The Hospitals Trust has set out clearly in its response to the consultation why these proposals should be dropped, setting out the impressive first-class clinical outcomes the unit achieves, and along with others I have made the case for saving the unit in Parliament and in my submission to the consultation.
The community campaign, bringing together local people, patients and their families, and medical professionals shows both the strength of local support for the campaign, and has provided strong evidence in support of saving the unit. I am clear that NHS England's decision must reflect this weight of evidence and strength of local feeling, and they must keep the unit open."