It is time someone told the public the truth about the march being organised today to support St Richard's Hospital, as the organisers clearly have no intention of doing so.

I have received an email from the Support St Richard's Campaign urging me to attend this march yet in the email there is no mention of what I am actually being asked to march in support of.

The truth is if you go on this march then you are supporting the call to close the A&E departments and some other departments at Worthing and Haywards Heath hospitals.

This is what the Support St Richard's Campaign is fighting for.

If you agree this should happen and you don't care about the lives that will be lost as a result as long as St Richard's is safe, then by all means join the march today. But if you think that no hospital A&E and other departments should be closed in Chichester, Worthing or Haywards Heath then boycott the march.

Boycotting the march doesn't mean you don't care about St Richard's. Quite the opposite. The Support St Richard's Campaign appears to agree with West Sussex Primary Care Trust chief executive John Wilderspin that hospital departments should close. They will have to accept the outcome of the process even if it goes against St Richard's.

What is needed is a mega protest march to the offices of the PCT by people from all over the county standing shoulder to shoulder to say we will not accept the closure of any hospital departments in any of the hospitals and to demand Mr Wilderspin's resignation. I shall begin talks with groups next week about organising this.

And for those of you who might not live in this area, consider this: do you ever drive to Gatwick or take a train to Brighton? Well, if you are ever involved in a bad accident en route you might be glad that Worthing or Haywards Heath have hospitals with A&E departments.

  • Gary J Oakes, Pagham