Royal Brompton Hospital wins review into heart unit closure

The Royal Brompton Hospital in London The Royal Brompton Hospital says the consultation process was flawed The Royal Brompton Hospital has won its High Court bid to seek a judicial review into the decision to close its children's heart surgery unit. Lawyers for the west London hospital argued that the consultation by the Joint Committee of the Primary Care Trusts of England was "deeply flawed". The judge ruled that the consultation was "unlawful and must be quashed". The consultation was part of a national review aimed at streamlining paediatric congenital cardiac surgery services. The team behind the "Safe and Sustainable" consultation said it did not accept the allegations made by the Royal Brompton, and said there was widespread support for its proposals, including from independent experts. The hospital argued that closing the unit would put the whole hospital at risk. The court bid - brought by the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust - represented the first time that one NHS organisation has taken legal action against another.