Leading councillors have backed the campaign to keep a children’s heart unit in Leicester.

County and City Councillors on the health scrutiny committee said Glenfield’s unit should not be shut as part of proposals to have fewer but larger centres.

County Councillor Ruth Camamile, who chaired the meeting, said: Based on what we have heard today, we support the hospital trust’s aim to continue to provide children’s heart surgery at Glenfield and to make additional investment.

The expertise already exists in Leicester and the heart unit is one of the best in the country, as well as being the only centre that provides ECMO – total life support – for all ages.”

The Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been consulted as a stakeholder on proposals made by the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL,) to continue to provide children’s heart surgery at Glenfield Hospital. There will be a full public consultation later in the year.

This follows a recommendation made by the Royal College of Surgeons in 2007 that ‘there should be fewer but larger paediatric cardiac surgery centres’.