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We had a lively discussion at our Patient & Public Group Meeting on 13 June 2014, which began with a robust challenge from some attendees about current quality in surgical units, the accessibility of public & patient meetings, and the nature and breadth of our planned consultation. This sort of encounter can be uncomfortable, but it is a legitimate and important part of our accountability. There was one issue, however, which I wanted to highlight here because it gets right to the heart of the way we run our process: Why don’t the review team respond to what they’re told?

I disagreed with the assertion that we are unresponsive. It’s not supported by the evidence of our approach over the last year, including 26 blogs, every one of which starts by detailing what we have heard and what we have done about it. In this context, I would like to draw your attention to the paper here that we presented to the recent Clinical Advisory Panel meeting – almost 40 pages explaining exactly what we have heard about the draft standards, chapter by chapter, from which audience, and what we have done about it. I think this paper exemplifies what we do, and the inclusive approach we have taken.  I am very proud of the work the review team has done to support the extensive and unstinting efforts of so many contributors to the review.

Patients, families and their representatives

The Patients & Public Group meeting described above (chaired by Professor Peter Weissberg) took place on 13 June 2014 in central London. A copy of the agenda is available here, a copy of the slides used is available here and as always a note of the meeting will be available in due course.

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Although the Clinical Reference Group (CRG) for Congenital Hearts Services has a full complement of patient and carer representatives, there are still some CRGs who have not filled all their available places. Therefore NHS England is running a process to continue to recruit patients and carers to those CRGs with vacancies. More information can be found here including a full list of CRGs who are still recruiting members. The operation of the CRGs is separate from the new CHD review process and we have no role in appointments to CRGs.

Clinicians and their organisations

Our Clinical Advisory Panel (CAP) met on 18 June 2014, and the agenda and papers for the meeting are available here. A note of the meeting will be available in due course.

NHS England and other partners

Our Board Task and Finish Group met on 23 June 2014, and the agenda and papers for the meeting are available here. A note of the meeting will be available in due course.  The Group considered a range of issues but the core of the meeting was discussion of a DRAFT paper entitled “One Year On”, which details our progress against each of the review’s six objectives and outlines next steps. This paper, with any necessary amendments, will be tabled as part of the Group’s regular update to the meeting in public of NHS England’s Board, which takes place in Birmingham on 3 July 2014.  All Board papers for the 3 July 2014 meeting will be published on the NHS England website once finalised.  You can view the Board papers, request a place to attend the meeting, watch a live stream over the internet, and view the videos of previous meetings, on the NHS England website.

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MPs and peers (members of the House of Lords) ask questions of health ministers, and the answer (or the transcript when there is a debate) is published in Hansard.  Here is a link to a recently answered question (10 June 2014)  that relates to the work of the new CHD review.