Maternity plans condemned by three West Sussex MPs

THREE West Sussex MPs lined up to condemn the idea of centralised maternity services in the county, at a County Hall meeting.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Mar 2008, 13:47 BST

Updated 8th Jun 2018, 03:33 BST

There were warnings about the impact on thousands of families if the current level of care was downgraded.

The MPs said that in a county facing big increases in population - and the prospect of even more growth as a result of a possible new eco-town at Ford - it was crucial to maintain consultant-led maternity services at St Richard's, Worthing and the Princess Royal.

The idea of one consultant-led maternity department in the county, plus midwife-led units, is currently under consideration by the Primary Care Trust.

MPs Nick Gibb (Bognor Regis and Littlehampton), Nick Herbert (Arundel and South Downs) and Nicholas Soames (Mid Sussex) each told the Joint Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee that they had received more representations over PCT proposals for healthcare than on any other issue.

For the full story, see the March 12 edition of the West Sussex Gazette.