OXFORD hospital bosses have welcomed a national review into adult heart surgery.

A similar review into children’s heart surgery led to the suspension of operations on children at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

The Government ordered the so-called Safe and Sustainable review after announcing there should be fewer, larger centres carrying out more operations on children. The JR did not meet the criteria to become a ‘super centre’ and surgery was suspended, prompting a campaign by Oxfordshire parents.

Surgery is now carried out in Southampton in a partnership between the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (OUH) and Southampton University Hospitals Trust.

Now NHS Specialised Services, which led the last review, is consulting on adult heart surgery and has laid out similar options.

A spokesman said: “Adults living with congenital heart disease are living longer, yet specialist services have developed in an unplanned way in some areas of the country.

“Evidence also shows that some hospitals are carrying out just a handful of surgical procedures on patients, resulting in some clinicians not carrying out enough procedures to be sure of developing their skills and delivering the best outcomes for patients.”

Prof Edward Baker, medical director of OUH, said: “The OUH has an outstanding range of adult cardiac services and expertise in cardiac research. We already have a number of research and clinical links with these and other adult cardiac centres, and we expect that these relationships will continue to develop.”