Thousands sign petition to save hospital services

Thousands of people have signed a petition calling on the NHS to scrap plans to close "vital" facilities at an East Sussex hospital.

More than 2,000 people have opposed a move to close Uckfield Community Hospital's day care surgery unit.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust provides a range of day surgery in a 15-bed unit at Uckfield but said it wanted to increase the overall number of day surgery procedures by moving treatments to hospitals in Eastbourne and Hastings.

Duncan Bennett, who started the petition, said closing the unit would cause stress for patients who would have to travel further for treatment.

“As a beacon of community care and commitment, it has served countless residents, providing vital treatment within our community, sparing them the stress of travelling and receiving care in unfamiliar places," he said.

"It also reduces the burden from the already overwhelmed facilities at the major general hospitals where waiting lists will undoubtedly lengthen due to any such local closure.”

Penney Bell, who has signed the petition, said: “So many older people find it daunting to travel long distances, often at great expense, for small procedures like those performed at this unit.”

The consultant-led unit at Uckfield provides day surgery for vascular, maxillofacial (dental and skin cancer lesions), urology, ENT (ear, nose and throat), trauma and orthopaedic conditions.

The unit is due to close for a six-month trial period from 2 December.

A spokesperson from East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said the move would help improve treatment times.

“We have identified an opportunity to increase the overall number of day surgery procedures we can provide to our communities if we bring the non-complex day cases that currently take place at Uckfield onto our main sites at Eastbourne District General Hospital and Conquest Hospital in Hastings," they said.

“Our latest data shows that of the patients recently treated at our day surgery unit in Uckfield, almost 90% live nearer to our two main hospitals in Hastings and Eastbourne, so for the vast majority of our patients receiving surgical treatment at Uckfield, a change in location should also bring care closer to home.

“Therefore, we are testing this approach for six months, to understand if it can mean we can support more people more quickly, especially over the winter period – including those living in the Uckfield area."

The spokesperson added that the wider range of services at the hospital would remain unchanged.