Contest on for main Sussex hospital

1:36pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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Casualty wards across West Sussex have been saved - but campaigners are now in competition to secure the county's main NHS hospital.

Health bosses backed accident and emergency services at West Sussex's three main hospitals being saved.

Attention will now turn to which out of Worthing Hospital or St Richard's Hospital in Chichester will become the major general hospital for the county.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust agreed a recommendation at a board meeting yesterday which will lead to there being one main hospital providing all services and two local hospitals with A&E departments.

The Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath will be a local hospital but PCT chiefs will now have to decide between Worthing and Chichester.

The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton will become a critical care centre for the region.

Tom Wye from the Keep Worthing and Southlands Hospitals campaign said: "There were no losers in this round but there will be in the next. Whatever hospital does not become the major general hospital will effectively be downgraded."

Under the plans, patients needing urgent treatment for most emergencies, such as strokes and heart attacks, will be treated at their local hospital, which will have intensive care facilities.

However, emergency surgery such as a blocked bowel or serious accident cases and children's inpatient services will be treated at the major hospital.

The PCT board heard there were still concerns about the level of services provided at the local hospitals, including children's inpatient beds.

Issues such as access and the length of time it would take patients to get from rural areas to hospitals and the difficulties with parking and access at the Royal Sussex County Hospital were also raised. The financial risk of expanding the Royal Sussex to cope with the extra services was another point highlighted.

A major worry for hospital supporters are the plans to have just one consultantled maternity unit in the county plus three midwifeled units.

Ginny Heard from the Support the PRH campaign said: "We are doing everything we can to get the number of births at the hospital up so we can continue to push to keep consultant-led services here."

However, PCT chief executive John Wilderspin warned there would have to be a significant increase in birth numbers to justify having consultant-led services at the Princess Royal.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals chief executive Duncan Selbie said: "We have always been clear about the importance of the Princess Royal to the people of Mid Sussex and our staff and the many advantages of working as one hospital on two sites."

The PCT will meet on June 4 to decide the location of the major hospital.

General Medical Council president Sir Graeme Catto, who backed the recommendation, said he was delighted the board approved it.

He said: "By adopting this model for the people of West Sussex, I think the PCT has listened to clinicians and the public but at the same time has ensured the model for hospital care is one that will last."