Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency

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2006 press releases

Update on the future of the Princess Royal Hospital - from your MP Norman Baker

Local people will be only too aware of the uncertainty surrounding the future of our local hospital. This note gives an update of the latest position, as I understand it, which I hope you will find helpful.

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The Review ("Creating an NHS Fit for the Future")

1. The Strategic Health Authority, which now covers all the south-east, has instigated a review of all acute hospitals, including therefore the Princess Royal and the Royal Sussex. On the ground, this is being taken forward by the relevant Primary Care Trust (PCT) for each area. In the case of the PRH, the lead body is the West Sussex PCT.
2. The criteria which are informing the review are
   (a) clinical best practice
   (b) financial
   (c) accessibility, including the delivery of more services out of hospitals and in the community

The Options

1. There has been much discussion behind closed doors between the various elements of the NHS locally about what options might be presented for public consultation. Unfortunately, it is clear from information I have received that all involve some downgrading of the PRH, perhaps to little more than a community facility, much like the Lewes Victoria, which would deal with minor injuries and little else. In my view, the present threat to the Princess Royal is far and away the most serious threat the hospital has ever faced.
2. It seems clear that the future of the A&E facility is by no means secure.
3. There is considerable pressure nationally for clinical reasons to reduce the numbers of maternity units, so that function at the PRH is particularly vulnerable.
4. One small positive sign is that the Strategic Health Authority has agreed to my request that a "do nothing / status quo" option be included in the consultation, though it is clear that the SHA regards this merely as a yardstick against which to measure their real options.
5. Another mildly hopeful sign is that the SHA has accepted my argument that the start of the official consultation period be put back until next year, in recognition that more work needs to be done to cost the options and work through the consequences.

Cross-border issues

1. It is clear to me that insufficient thought has been given, by the West Sussex PCT in particular, either to the knock-on consequences of any changes to the activities of the PRH for the rest of the NHS, or to the needs of those who look to the PRH as their main hospital but who happen not to live in West Sussex. This of course includes the villages in the north of my constituency, including Wivelsfield Green, Chailey, Plumpton, Ditchling and Newick. I have been pressing for these matters to be addressed.
2. There have, however, now been some discussions between the PCTs in West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton and Hove to discuss these issues, and indeed, the complications that have emerged from this process is part of the reason why the formal consultation process has been put back.
3. I have formally requested that, when the consultation proper is launched, there should be at least one public meeting somewhere in the villages within my constituency, to underline the East Sussex dimension and give local people an opportunity to input. I am hopeful that this will be agreed to.
4. In recognition of the cross-border complexities, the three PCTs referred to above have now agreed to launch their various consultations at the same time. It is however quite possible that the various options put forward by the different PCTs will contain mutually incompatible solutions.
5. It has not yet been decided how, at the end of the consultation process, a final view will be reached by the PCTs. Each could have a separate recommendation which the SHA would need to reconcile, or there could be a joint process between the three to produce a recommendation.
6. There is also clearly a need to take account of what is happening elsewhere, such as across the county borders into Kent and Surrey, and again, it is not yet clear how this will be factored in.

Financial Matters

1. There is no doubt at all that the financial position of the NHS in our area is a major driver behind the review. Many of the NHS Trusts locally are running at a deficit.
2. The financial position of the acute Trust that runs the PRH and the Royal Sussex is particularly severe. An external "turnaround team" has been appointed (at some considerable cost) to bring forward cost savings. These include ward and bed closures, a freeze on recruitment, outsourcing secretarial work, and cutting management. It is now confirmed that there may even be redundancies, and the formal process to achieve such redundancies has begun.

Campaigning to save the PRH

1. As I mentioned above, the threat to the PRH is the most serious it has ever faced. To defeat this threat, we need to present a united front, as far as possible. That is why the three MPs whose constituencies are most directly affected, Nicholas Soames, Nick Herbert and myself, have agreed to work together, even though we represent different parties (Conservative and Liberal Democrat).
2. I also want to try to engage the Labour MPs from Brighton and Hove on our side. After all, there are serious question marks about the capacity of the Royal Sussex to cope with any more pressure, and the car parking position is of course very tight. I believe it is therefore in the interests of Brighton people for the PRH to continue delivering its full range of services.
3. The very large petition (over 45,000 signatures), the good support from the local press, and the successful recent march and rally have all helped to bring the community together and leave the NHS management in no doubt about the strength of feeling on this issue, but to defeat any plans to downgrade the hospital, we need to do more.
4. Public opinion is important, but I believe that in order to win the battle, it will be necessary to respond positively to the criteria the review is working to (see "The Review" 2 above).
5. On clinical need, we need, for example, to raise issues relating to the need to deal effectively with any emergency at Gatwick Airport.
6. On financial matters, we need a clear statement of the anticipated consequences of each of the options. I have now asked for this and been promised it.
7. I have asked for a clear statement setting out what extra facilities would need to be provided in Brighton, if the PRH were to be downgraded, together with a timetable and costings. I aim to demonstrate that there would be a significant cost to any PRH downgrading.
8. The Review is working to the premise that some services currently being delivered at hospitals can in future be delivered closer to people in local communities. I have therefore asked for a statement setting out the additional community services which might be delivered in this way, together with the costs of setting them up and running them. The SHA has admitted to me that there will some significant start-up costs. The West Sussex PCT is in discussions with the SHA about this matter, and looking to construct a 3-year plan.
9. I think there are strong arguments to be made against any PRH downgrading on accessibility grounds, both for emergencies and routine attendances. This is especially true of rural areas such as ours.

The Next Public Event

There will be a 24-hour community vigil at the hospital between 14.00 on the 9th and 14.00 on the 10th of December. More details will follow in the press.

I hope you have found this briefing helpful. I will make further available information available as matters progress. Please feel free to contact me if there is any further information you would like, and there are any comments you would like to pass on. I can be contacted at 23 East Street, Lewes, BN7 2LJ; by phone on 01273 480268; or by email via my website at normanbaker.org.uk

Together we can win