Stakeholder Response Form
CRG Product Testing
Please complete one response form per consultation document that you wish to provide comments on.
Date / 20 March 2014
Respondent’s Name
Respondent’s Organisation / LTHT
Replying on behalf of organisation? / Yes
Document responding to: / E02/S(HSS)/d
Relevant CRG / Paediatric Neuroscience CRG
In your opinion, how significant are the proposed changes to the document?
Please select the number that applies.
  1. The changes are material and significant and would benefit from wider and full public consultation of 12 weeks.

Do you have any further comments on the proposed changes to the document as part of this initial ‘sense check’?
  1. YES

If Yes, please describe below, in no more than 500 words, any further comments on the proposed changes to the document as part of this initial ‘sense check’.
  1. This document does not appear to have been issued by or discussed at the Paediatric Neuroscience CRG. We are therefore unclear as to its standing.
  2. The document ignores the “history” of craniofacial surgery in England - and in particular the findings of the 2003 Working Party (chaired by Professor Sir Peter Morris, PRCS).
  3. There are significant changes advocated in this document which will affect non-designated centres (which under the 2003 Working Party agreement continue to undertake non-syndromic craniofacial cases and fronto-nasal dermoids).
  4. When craniofacial services were under the control of AGNSS, a review of the designated services was planned for 2011. This was put on hold due to the on-going Safe & SustainableProgramme. A review of the whole service (designated and non-designated services) is long overdue.
  5. The NE of England is presently poorly served by the geographic location of the designated centres.Leeds fulfils all the requirements for designation as laid out in the Craniofacial Standards and in this document. We are the largest non-designated craniofacial centre in England and undertake a similar volume of cases as the designated Scottish craniofacial designated centre.
  6. We have requested assessment for designation for many years. The only requirement we fail to fulfil is attendance at the annual audit - which all the non-designated centres have been barred from since 2003. We have however continued to audit our own data and regularly published in peer reviewed journals.

Please declare any conflict of interests relating to this document or service area.
Leeds has expressed a desire to become a designated centre.