League of Friends lays out £158,500

Among hospital bids received by the league's general committee on Thursday evening were a linked series of five requests to provide equipment for the day surgery ynit.

The committee approved these en bloc. In total, it agreed to spend 158,500, of which 116,852 was for equipment for Bexhill Hospital and 34,061 for the benefit of Bexhill patients attending the Conquest Hospital.

The equipment for the Jethro Arscott Unit and for the Outpatients' Department at Bexhill will save many Bexhill patients having to travel to the Conquest for treatment.

Spending included:

*49,801 worth of endoscopy camera equipment and accessories for the Jethro Arscott Unit.

*A 17,457 artroscope camera system for knee and shoulder surgery at the unit.

*A 22,406 motor drive unit and punches for undertaking meniscal shaving during knee joint surgery at the unit.

*A 1,950 for a dental drill kit including two micro motor units and two dental handpieces for extracting wisdom teeth and retained teeth and 4,111 for equipment to undertake small-joint fusions such as toes.

The Bexhill league will share with the League of Friends of the Conquest Hospital the 1,550 cost of tonometry equipment for the outpatients' department at Bexhill Hospital for the early detection of glaucoma and other eye conditions.

The Bexhill league will buy three ophthalmoscopes and accessories costing 3,600 to upgrade equipment at Bexhill.

It will also share with the Conquest league the 3,183 cost of upgrading software for equipment enabling photographs to be taken of the back of the eye for patients attending the eye department at Bexhill.

It will share with the Conquest league the 28,111 cost of two flexible cystoscopes and accessories for the detection of bladder cancer at the Conquest.

It will also match the Conquest league's pledge of 14,040 for the purchase of chairs for the use of Conquest patients. The meeting was told that chairs have not been replaced since the Conquest Hospital was opened and are now unhygienic. The replacements will have detachable cushions which can be cleaned.

But committee members did not feel that a case had been made out in support of a bid for 10,000 from the league to help plug a funding gap in the Art in Healthcare service in the hospitals.

Instead, members welcomed an offer, reported by committee member Mike Dean, from the owners of Bexhill Photographic to supply free of charge framed photographs of Bexhill to brighten the walls of the Irvine Unit.

The league has also responded to the 15,000 appeal to save the Homecall home-visiting service for the blind in Bexhill by making a 7,500 grant.