Local hospitals

Nick has been at the forefront of campaigns to protect key services at all three major hospitals in West Sussex.

St Richard's in Chichester, Worthing & Southlands hospitals and the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath all serve local people in the Arundel and South Downs constituency.

Nick has given strong backing to the hospital campaigns, speaking at the marches and rallies, repeatedly challenging the Primary Care Trust over its proposals, giving evidence to the Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee, and raising the issue in Parliament and directly with Ministers.

More than 25,000 people have marched and more than 300,000 people - one in three of the entire West Sussex population - have signed petitions in support of their hospitals.

"People Power has worked"

At last it seems that the public voice has been heard. Plans to downgrade A&E departments have been abandoned after the PCT agreed that consultant-led A&E services should be provided at all three hospital sites.

Specialist maternity services at the Princess Royal will be strengthened, not downgraded, and a commitment has been made to provide consultant-led maternity services, inpatient paediatrics and emergency surgery at both Worthing and St Richard's.

The new Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, created on 1 April last year to manage St Richard's and Worthing hospitals, is applying for Foundation Trust status. Nick has warned that his support for these changes is "totally conditional" on retaining the full range of key services on both sites.

Nick has promised to keep a close eye on developments, but it's clear that a strong public protest has helped to win a reprieve for our hospitals.