Eastbourne hospital group raises £500k for important equipment

Eastbourne DGH is the regional urology centre for excellence which means people from Sussex, West Kent, and parts of Surrey all come here if they need treatment for kidney, bladder, or prostate cancer.

The Friends of Eastbourne Hospital (FoEH) 2022 Appeal was aiming to raise £500k for a new Da Vinci system. The system makes it possible for surgeons to operate with amazing accuracy through a few small incisions. As a result, there are better outcomes for patients due to the minimally invasive surgery and less time in hospital.

The previous robot, which was purchased by the FoEH in 2015, now needs replacing.

A spokesperson for FoEH said: “We received significant donations from local bodies as well as personal donations from former urology patients who wanted to acknowledge their gratitude for treatment they’d had in the department.

“The support from Eastbourne and the community was overwhelming, and it was with pride that Chairman Harry Walmsley officially reported the completion of the target at the FoEH AGM in November 2022.”

Dr Walmsley said: “It was a pleasure to make the replacement Urology Robot the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital’s major project for 2022 and help keep Eastbourne Urology a regional centre of excellence and at the forefront of Urology Cancer services.

“The £500k was raised through fundraising, legacies, and donations, including generous ones from the Sussex Masonic Charity and the Medi Tech Trust. We are as always extremely grateful to the people of Eastbourne for their continued generosity in helping the Friends support our hospital in Eastbourne.”

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