'Options are being explored' - Hospital trust responds after Chichester MP urges leaders to re-open cardiac cath lab
Hospital leaders in Chichester are exploring ‘refurbishment options’, amid calls for a cardiac cath lab to remain open.
The cath lab at St Richard’s Hospital has been closed since the end of 2024 due to problems with its ventilation.
A cardiac cath lab is a specialised hospital area that uses imaging technology to perform diagnostic tests and minimally invasive procedures on the heart and blood vessels.
Jess Brown-Fuller, Member of Parliament for Chichester, has called on decision makers – at The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust – to ensure that the lab re-opens in full following its renovations.
In a letter sent on Thursday, September 11, the MP raised concerns from clinicians and patients, ‘including delays to vital procedures’ such as pacemaker installation and fears about the lab’s long-term future.
She wrote: “I have serious concerns about a permanent closure. Such a decision would severely compromise St Richard’s ability to deliver comprehensive cardiac care and would represent a significant downgrading of the hospital’s services.
“Given the consistent demand for cardiac services, closure would be particularly alarming for those living with long-term heart conditions. Patients requiring outpatient interventions would no longer be able to access services locally, with the elderly population being especially vulnerable to the challenges of travelling greater distances for essential cardiac care.”
The MP has previously discussed the issue with hospital bosses who stated that ‘no final decisions had been made on the lab’.
Mrs Brown-Fuller added: “The cardiac cath lab at St Richard’s has served many people across my constituency, with a strong team of professionals about whom I have heard nothing but praise.
“But their fantastic work is being undermined by the continued closure of the lab and its uncertain future.
“Residents in Chichester deserve a good deal when it comes to healthcare provision and a decision to close the lab would actively undermine that.
“I have called on the hospital leaders for the lab to be re-opened in full, so that residents in Chichester can get the care they deserve.”
The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust has since issued a statement, in response to the MP.
A UHSussex spokesperson said: "During a routine inspection earlier this year, an issue was identified with the ventilation system in the cath lab, which is currently under review.
"To ensure patient safety remains our top priority, the cath lab has been temporarily taken offline while refurbishment options are being explored.
"In the interim, patients are being rebooked at alternative facilities, including St Richard’s and our Cath Labs in Worthing, to ensure their treatment continues in a timely and safe manner."