CHILDREN’S heart surgery services in Oxford look to be facing closure whatever the outcome of the inquiry into baby deaths at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

It is feared that paediatric cardiac surgery, which is suspended following the deaths of four children, may never be resumed at the John Radcliffe, even were the hospital to be given a clean bill of health.

With an independent review into children’s cardiac surgery not to report until the end of July, it appears that the John Radcliffe already faces being stripped of its specialist status as part of national streamlining.

The number of centres performing complex children’s heart operations is expected to be significantly reduced after a national inquiry completes its investigations.

Although there are only 11 such units, the inquiry is likely to recommend fewer but bigger units, all capable of performing at least 400 operations a year.

Oxford — which performs about 100 operations a year — would have been vulnerable even before the announcement earlier this month that the hospital was suspending children’s heart surgery.

With two surgeons performing cardiac operations on children, the John Radcliffe is the smallest of the 11 children’s cardiac centres in the country.

But parents have already expressed concern that the closure of the Oxford unit would mean seriously ill babies and young children having to be taken miles from Oxfordshire for heart surgery.

A team of multi-disciplinary experts will visit each of the heart centres in May and June. In Oxford, however, they will find that paediatric cardiac surgery remains suspended.

The investigation led by the South Central Strategic Health Authority into children’s heart operations at the John Radcliffe will continue well into the summer.

The Department of Health has made it clear that it believes there is now a very strong case for closing smaller units to concentrate specialist children’s heart services at fewer bigger centres.

Spokesman Kirsty Gelsthorpe said: “Heart surgery has become increasingly complex, requiring staff to work in bigger teams and train in larger centres.

“That is why the sustainability of the 11 centres currently performing children's heart surgery in England is now the subject of this national review in the NHS.”

The national review, which is being carried out for the NHS Management Board by the National Specialised Commissioning Group, began its work last year. It is expected to report in the autumn.

A spokesman for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs the JR, said: “At this stage, the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals continues to participate in the national review.”

Karen Green, 39, of Tetsworth, whose eight-year-old son Robbie has a congenital heart defect and has had more than 50 appointments at the John Radcliffe, said: “It would not make sense if children and families, with siblings to look after, had to travel miles and miles to undergo surgery, when there is a facility like this in Oxford.”

The internationally renowned Oxford surgeon Stephen Westaby is one of the paediatric cardiac surgeons at the JR.

The four children whose deaths led to the suspension of services were all operated on by Caner Salih, who was appointed consultant at the John Radcliffe 15 months ago.

He had already resigned to move to Guy’s and St Thomas Foundation Trust in London when operations were suspended.