Hospitals to keep A&E services

Worthing Hospital will now retain its A&E department

The future of A&E departments at three West Sussex hospitals has almost been secured.

Services at Worthing Hospital, Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath and St Richard's, Chichester had been under threat of being downgraded.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust (PCT) board is now being urged to accept a third restructuring option that would keep the departments open.

The trust board will make a final decision on the plan on Wednesday.

Two of the hospitals had stood to lose their A&E units with consultant-led maternity services also possibly being centralised on one site, under the Fit for the Future proposals.

The recommended model has the support of the local NHS and has been designed with the public's views in mind John Wilderspin

But following a consultation process, which received 328,000 responses, and demonstrations by campaigners, clinicians came up with another option.

Under the plans now being recommended some of the departments will not carry out emergency surgery, treat seriously ill children or victims of serious road accidents.

They will all retain their acute surgery unit, for conditions such as heart attacks, have intensive care beds and be open 24 hours a day.

The trust said the centralisation of emergency surgery and specialist emergency surgery at either St Richards Hospital or Worthing Hospital had clear benefits for patients.

Consultant led inpatient maternity services and inpatient children's beds will also be housed at the major hospital if the recommendation is accepted by the board.

'Increased investment'

John Wilderspin, West Sussex PCT chief executive, said: "The recommended model proposed by local clinicians and backed by Sir Graeme Catto will ensure that the majority of people can still go to their local A&E apart from those needing really specialist care who will be better supported in a hospital with more specialist services.

"The recommended model has the support of the local NHS and has been designed with the public's views in mind."

He added: "Alongside these changes in hospital based services, West Sussex PCT has promised that more services will be delivered in the community and closer to people's homes and there will be increased investment in the ambulance service.

"These changes to health services will take up to three to five years and will only be implemented once safe alternatives are in place."