THE father of a 10-year-old girl who had a heart operation just hours before surgery was suspended has backed John Radcliffe Hospital.

On Wednesday night the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust announced it had suspended child heart surgery after the deaths of four babies in three months.

Last night the trust was unable to guarantee child heart patients affected by the suspension of the cardiac unit would not face delays for surgery.

However, it has insisted that no child heart patients, many of whom the hospital has managed since birth, would be put at further risk by the move.

Doctors had only just completed a successful five-hour procedure to fit a new heart valve and stent on Katy Homewood when news of the suspension reached her father at the hospital.

Mr Homewood, 51, from Radley, said: “We heard it on the news and we were really quite shocked, “It’s hugely unfortunate for those that have lost children.

“The publicity has not been good, but we’re very keen to express our thanks to the hospital.

“Yet again they’ve performed miracles for us. We’re just full of admiration.”

The decision to suspend child heart surgery does not stop heart procedures like Katy’s pulmonary heart valve replacement being carried out by doctors at the hospital.

However, the trust has admitted for the first time some tricky procedures like that could also be referred to other hospitals if patient complications lead them to believe that surgical back-up is needed for the child.

Last night, the trust said it had contacted parents of 26 children due to have heart operations and had placed some of them in other hospitals but could not say how many or where.

Surgeon Caner Salih carried out all four operations on the children who died, but no members of staff have been suspended or disciplined, and there is no suggestion of foul play or negligence.

Mr Salih and the hospital’s only other child heart surgeon Prof Stephen Westaby are unable to operate on children until an investigation is carried out, led by the South Central Strategic Health Authority.

Mr Salih had already resigned from his post to take up a new job at Guys Hospital before the JR issue was made public. Mr Homewood helped set up the charity Young Hearts with his wife Kim after their daughter had two successful open heart surgery operations performed by Prof Westaby.

Although Katy’s heart operation is believed to be the last one she needs, Mr Homewood said: “We’d have no hesitation in bringing Katy back to the JR for surgery.

“Our confidence hasn’t been wavered in the slightest by this.”

Katy is expected to return home today after three nights in hospital following the procedure.

We were unable to contact Mr Salih yesterday.