Bradford’s representative on a major regional health watchdog has declared there is an “overwhelming” case for saving a children’s heart surgery unit threatened with closure.

And Councillor Mike Gibbons, a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, warned closing the unit at Leeds General Infirmary would have “devastating” consequences for families across the area.

The unit is under threat in a review of cardiac services, which wants to reduce the number of specialist hubs to six or seven. Three out of the four options being put forward by the decision-making body, the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, (JCPCT) would mean the unit would be lost in Leeds and would lead to families having to travel to Newcastle, Liverpool or Birmingham. But the watchdog, which represents 15 councils in the region, is throwing its weight behind the unit with a 166-page report making the case for its retention.

See Thursday's T&A for the full story