The Isle of Wight Council cabinet member responsible for children’s services has welcomed news that children’s heart services to be retained at Southampton General Hospital.
Last year Cllr Dawn Cousins took a motion to Full Council strongly opposing the proposal to close the Southampton services and merge them with a regional centre.
The motion – that was backed unanimously – said such a move would be a retrograde step putting the lives of Island children at risk.
Speaking after the announcement that the Southampton unit had been saved in the review, Cllr Cousins said: “This is tremendous news both for all those who use this excellent centre now and all those who may have to use it in the future.
“We were very concerned that had Southampton closed, the extra travel time for young Island patients and their parents would have been intolerable and possibly dangerous.
“We are told that this issue of travel times had been a factor that was taken into account during the decision-making process. I am delighted the whole council played a full part in the campaign to keep this excellent, much-loved and much-needed centre on our doorstep.”
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