Harefield Hospital 'faces closure'

A shake-up of heart transplant units is planned

The government is to close Harefield Hospital in north west London, it is being suggested.

The world-renowned heart hospital in Middlesex faces is thought to be facing closure as part of a review of transplant centres in the UK.

Also believed to be facing the axe are transplant centres in Birmingham and Sheffield.

If the shake-up goes ahead this could result in the number of heart transplant units falling from seven to four nationwide.

But a Department of Health spokeswoman stressed no decision had yet been made.

We've had a report from an advisory group saying heart transplants should be provided from four units only.

DoH spokesman

She said that any of the seven units, which include ones at hospitals in Newcastle and Manchester and at the Royal Brompton hospital in London and Papworth hospital in Cambridgeshire, could close.

Operations by the Harefield team, will be transferred to the Royal Brompton, according to the Sunday Times.

The DoH spokeswoman said: "We've had a report from an advisory group saying heart transplants should be provided from four units only.

"The review is underway, but no decision has yet been made."

Heart transplants falling

She said officials were considering the shake-up because of the success of road safety campaigns and improvements in intensive care.

"The number of heart transplants have fallen by 20% in the past five years," she added.

Harefield was built as an isolation hospital for TB sufferers in the 1930s.

Sir Magdi Yacoub performed his first surgery at Harefield 21 years ago

The celebrated surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, who retires next year, performed his first heart transplant there in 1980.

Diana, Princess of Wales, became associated with the hospital after she was filmed watching Yacoub perform hole-in-the-heart surgery on a boy.

Thousands of people have already signed a signature opposed to the closure of the hospital.