Eastbourne’s new elective surgery hub to be ready by 2025, MP says

An artist's impression of the new elective surgery hub in Eastbourne. Picture from Caroline Ansell

A new Eastbourne elective surgery hub will open in 2025, says Eastbourne and Willingdon MP Caroline Ansell.

She has visited the site of the new elective surgery hub which is set to be built at the DGH.

Mrs Ansell said the new building, which will eventually form part of a new hospital development, will be able to undertake 8,453 day surgery cases per year using its four new operating theatres – this is an increase of around 2,500 operations a year.

Operations that will take place include orthopaedic, community dental, breast surgery, urology, vascular and gynaecology.

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell at the site of the new elective surgery hub

Ahead of construction, archaeological digs are taking place but the building is fully funded and has planning permission, the MP said.

Mrs Ansell added: “It was really good to be able to go on site and see this massive investment in our healthcare starting to happen.

“We have a new hospital coming to Eastbourne, but ahead of that is this new elective surgery hub – a big boost to treatment here in the town and it is positive news.

“This new capacity will cut waiting lists and give patients faster access to operations. It very much shows the government is investing in our healthcare right now – with exciting plans then coming down the line to when the new hospital begins to be built.”

Eastbourne MP Caroline Ansell visited the site of the new elective surgery hub

The government’s Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay MP had said that work to build a new surgical hub in Eastbourne as part of the New Hospital Programme would begin next year.

Mr Barclay made a statement to parliament on Thursday, May 25, on the New Hospital Programme and the commitment to deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030. Eastbourne is in Cohort 4 of the programme.

Questions have been raised nationally around the New Hospital Programme this month following an article from the BBC titled ‘Building work pending for many of 40 promised hospitals’, which was written by Catherine Burns and Vicki Loader.

Mrs Ansell later addressed the concerns and added that it was important to note that the NHS had three definitions of what a new hospital is.

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