Campaigners in Spalding trying to save child heart surgeries at an East Midlands hospital have raised fresh concerns over a review into its future.
NHS England has held talks with charities, medical groups and hospitals during the last two weeks to decide how services for children and adults needing heart surgery are to be organised in England and Wales.
The review was called for by Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt after a plan to end child heart surgeries at Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, and two other centres in England was thrown out last month.
But families and politicians supporting Glenfields claim they have been left out of the talks and are pressing NHS England to consult with them about the review which is due to go to the Health Secretary next week.
Francesca Larsson (32) of Stonegate, Spalding, whose daughter Sofia (three) was had surgery at Glenfield, said: “I am concerned about NHS England’s lack of communication with the people that matter - patients and their families.
“Surely it would be better for NHS England to include local support groups, organisations and charities from across the country who have a better grasp of the key issues and concerns of families.
“This would be better than just consulting national organisations who can be removed from the daily realities of living with a child who has congenital heart disease.