Meeting over hospital cuts plan

Future options for three hospitals in the county are being discussed

A second public meeting in two days is being held to discuss planned cuts to hospital services in West Sussex.

Hundreds of campaigners attended a meeting in East Grinstead on Tuesday to look at future options for the three hospitals in the county.

Under NHS restructuring, only one hospital is set to remain as a major general hospital, West Sussex Primary Care Trust (PCT) has said.

Wednesday's debate in Westergate is the second of 11 meetings over four weeks.

Before the meeting, West Sussex county councillor Deborah Urquhart said the county local committee was "committed to involving the local community, hearing what they have to say and ensuring that our residents' concerns are heard".

Hospital expertise

A further 30 meetings are scheduled to take place across West Sussex between October and March, according to the county's Fight for the Future campaign website.

The Fight for the Future campaign calls for "acceptable options for health service provision which better reflect the needs and concerns of residents".

West Sussex County Council leader Henry Smith has said that "downgrading is not an option for any of our hospitals".

Under NHS plans, options are being considered for hospitals in Worthing, Haywards Heath, and Chichester.

One will have a full range of A&E, emergency surgery and consultant-led maternity services.

After the meeting on Tuesday, John Wilderspin, PCT chief executive, said: "The reason that we're looking to centralise some specialist services is we can then ensure we have the expertise available for a greater period of the day."