A petition’s been launched to help save the Cardiac Cath Lab at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.
The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, is considering two options, either relocating the service to Worthing Hospital or refurbishing the existing lab as a shared facility.
An assessment paper will go before the Trust in December, with the outcome set to determine the next steps.
It's understood that no formal public consultation is currently taking place to which other patients or the public can contribute. But recent users of the Cath lab service will be contacted to participate in a survey to inform the appraisal.
To get involved with the petition click the link here https://c.org/PssCZh6KDZ
The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, Chief of Service, Dr Ryan Watkins, said: "During a routine inspection earlier this year, an issue was identified with the ventilation system in the Cath Lab at St Richard’s Hospital, which is currently under review.
"To ensure patient safety remains our top priority, the Cath Lab has been temporarily taken offline while refurbishment options and broader considerations are carefully considered.
"In the interim, patients are being rebooked at alternative facilities at St Richard’s or our Cath Labs in Worthing, to ensure their treatment continues in a timely and safe manner."
In September, Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller released a statement on her website saying "The services provided in a cath lab are indispensable for residents in Chichester, particularly given our demographic of a higher-than-average older population. Should the hospital lose this critical resource and diminish its clinical capabilities, I am sure that the cost would be far higher than zeros on a spreadsheet - it would be paid for in people’s health and wellbeing.
Read the full statement here: We can’t afford to lose our cath lab at St Richards
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