I am not just talking about the heart unit itself, but the NHS at its most senior levels – the “Sirs”: NHS chief executive David Nicholson, NHS medical director Bruce Keogh and National Institute for Cardiovascular Outcomes Research director Roger Boyle. Two details were particularly shocking as the story unfolded.
First came a public row, played out in the media, about the death rate data and what it showed. Eventually, Keogh said the Leeds data had been incorrect and the “real” data was better. On that basis, he reopened the unit almost straight away. It seems the weights of some babies had not been included in the national data returns. If so, there were issues with Leeds not submitting complete data, and the receipt and checking of the data. Boyle’s National Institute should not accept incomplete data.
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