LETTER: Keep the hospital dream alive

With reference to your leading prose ‘new hospital for Horsham dies’. This dream will only die if the community allows it, so may I say to Horsham MP Francis Maude do not give up on your constituents and continue to support them.

Horsham Hospital as it is can only accommodate so many referrals in for specialists, per week.

Extremely long referral times for appointments appear to be normal for patients to already stretched, over-subscribed waiting lists and patients areforced to travel mainly to East Surrey Hospital, for specialists and consultants,and even minor injuries.

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The waiting times in out patients and A&E reflect this, some of which ends up with bad publicity.

The facilities and staff at Horsham Hospital cope admirably with their referral workload.

It is not in the patients’ interest and welfare to refuse out of hand, a new localised hospital; taking into consideration the proposed house building in the area, the already overstretched facilities, and I am surprised the lack of GPs who appear not to support a new hospital.

Take a two and a half hour bus ride from Horsham, district councillor Christian Mitchell, to East Surrey Hospital, two bus changes, or three, if you live outside Horsham town, and you may have had medication which could leave you uncomfortable, then after possible invasive treatment the journey home.

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There are other hospitals, Worthing, Brighton, Haywards Heath, but the majority of patients are referred to East Surrey. The appointment system is controlled from East Surrey, is not demographic to a patient’s home nor to a patient’s age nor how the patient is to get to East Surrey.

Latest technology medical equipment may be available there, but Horsham needs a new hospital, for the Horsham and district.

Mr Maude, again I thank you for your efforts, and say that district, parish and county councillors should fight for the people you represent and disregard their own interests.

I would like to hear from anyone who has had problems with hospital appointments at East Surrey, travelling time and costs in order to raise the profile of this very important issue.

E. PAFFETT (Mrs)

Bracken Grove, Horsham