Hospital consultation period ends

Services at Worthing Hospital could be downgraded

The consultation period on the future of hospital services in West Sussex has come to an end.

Campaigners against plans which could see services at two of the county's three hospitals downgraded marked the occasion with an all-night vigil.

A petition signed by 120,0000 people was delivered to the West Sussex Primary Care Trust (PCT) on Wednesday.

The trust assured people that their views would be taken into consideration before plans were finalised.

Fighting plans

West Sussex PCT chief executive John Wilderpin said: "We absolutely will take account of what people are saying.

"We've extended the consultation period, we've done a very extended consultation because we want to hear what people have said so we will take account of that."

Services at Worthing Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and St Richard's, Chichester are under threat.

Under the trust's Fit for the Future proposals, two of the hospitals would lose their A&E units with consultant-led maternity services also possibly being centralised on one site.

Supporters of the hospitals have been fighting the plans, with thousands of people taking part in marches.

Patients' groups, local authorities and West Sussex's MPs joined the hospital campaigners in rejecting the plans.

Last week the trust said it was possible that all three hospitals could retain their A&E departments.

It said it was looking at a new model after talking to senior clinicians.