Health fears

Members of the general committee of the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital voted at their meeting last Thursday to accept the invitation of the Eastbourne league to send officers to the meeting.

Together with the League of Friends of the Conquest Hospital, the charities will discuss how best to counter the threat - principally that of the merger of the Eastbourne and Conquest accident and emergency units.

Trust chief executive Kim Hodgson has agreed to meet the three leagues at Eastbourne on June 19.

Geographically, Bexhill - which lost its accident and emergency unit 30 years ago despite a fight which the Bexhill league took to the House of Commons - is between the two factions seeking to retain their own A and E departments.

The Bexhill league is anxious to secure the best possible settlement for Bexhill patients.

At last Thursday's meeting, members expressed concern on three counts - threatened loss of existing services, even greater journey times for Bexhill patients if A and E were concentrated at Eastbourne and about still longer waiting times for casualties if two already-crowded departments were merged into one.

Bexhill chairman Peter Mitchell Davis told colleagues: "My feelings are that we are in between the two of them. I think it would be quite wrong to line ourselves up to one or the other at this stage."

Newly-elected committee member Stuart Earl said:"It is bad enough now for someone not able to get transport to get to the Conquest.

"It would be an absolute nightmare for someone without transport to get to the Eastbourne District General Hospital."

Lyn Walter said: "You cannot go to the Conquest A and E and get seen in less than four hours. With twice the number of people it would be a nightmare."