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The facts about health service
DID YOU know that:
Average occupancy of acute and general hospital beds in England in 2007-08 was 85.5 per cent, but Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust which runs East Surrey Hospital was running at 96.7 per cent?
Average community bed occupancy for England was 83.4 per cent but in north-east West Sussex it was 97 per cent?
The population of north-east West Sussex might rise by 24,000 more people than West Sussex Primary Care Trust has calculated for?
By 2026, the proportion of the population over 65 will increase by 21 per cent in West Sussex but that in our part of the county it will rise by a staggering 47 per cent?
These are a few facts contained in the North East Review – the review of health services in north-east West Sussex whose findings and recommendations were presented to the PCT's board at the end of last week.
Also acknowledged was a history of 'broken promises' in our part of the county – specifically the rejection of the recommendation of a new hospital in a review in 2002 and the continual loss of services from Horsham and Crawley hospitals to East Surrey Hospital.
I already knew local bed capacity was overstretched but I was shocked when I realised it was so overburdened. No wonder the hardworking staff at East Surrey struggle to keep up with demand.
So, as I worked my way through the report – which contains recommendations on a lot more than just hospital services – I began to be hopeful that the desperate need for a new hospital had been recognised. Finally the PCT would be forced to acknowledge what local people have known for years.
Could I dare to hope that the review panel had listened to local residents, WSCC, Horsham and Crawley councils, local Conservatives and Lib Dems? Did the 12,000 campaign forms presented to the chairman of the review finally make them take note?
Well, no. My optimism was premature. The report's evidence was ignored when the panel drew up their recommendations – a new hospital was specifically ruled out and this was accepted by the PCT board.
Apparently, East Surrey has improved so much it's more than able to look after local people, now and in the future. Well, frankly that's an insult to the patients and relatives who continue to write to me, detailing their shocking experiences at that hospital.
It seems a new hospital had been ruled out before the review had even started – why else would such damning evidence and overwhelming clinical and public support for a new hospital be ignored?
Please sign up to The Campaign for Pease Pottage Hospital at www.C4PPH.org.
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Weather for Horsham
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -7 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: East
