READER’S LETTER: Better public transport needed for Eastbourne hospital patients

Public transport links to and from hospitals in Eastbourne, Bexhill and Hastings are important, and it is right that our MP should engage with issues around this.

Her focus is on a staff ‘shuttle bus’, but also identifies ‘deficient’ public transport provision as a problem for patients attending appointments.

Professional, technical, admin and maintenance staff may need to ‘shuttle’ between the three hospitals, while many staff need good daily transport links to their usual hospital workplace.

Patients with appointments need to be able to get to the hospital appropriate to their clinical needs – and they may have visitors. Transfer of the acutely ill would be by ambulance.

Many staff have reasonable public transport options - though less so in the evenings and at night; many – though not all – patients with appointments also have public transport options though again, in evenings these are less convenient or non-existent.

A proven example in the daytime is a recent journey from Eastbourne to Hastings Conquest. A train journey to Hastings station, plus a bus connection to the Conquest gets you to the reception desk in one hour, one minute: 20 minutes taken to get to Eastbourne station gave a journey time of 80 minutes.

Our MP suggests two hours. Times from Hampden Park would be the same. The reverse journey would be faster using the train from Hastings/Bexhill as more buses with shorter journeys are available from Eastbourne station to the DGH for those with appointments there.

Better bus connections to all three hospitals including more evening services, would speed things up.

In April 2020, East Sussex County Council (ESCC) received £265,000 for that purpose along with other route enhancements. ESCC actually cited an aim to fit with hospital shift patterns in their plan.

Then came the ‘bus service improvement plan’ (BSIP) with £3bn worth of funding for England, but recently severely cut back by the Chancellor to less than half that (£1.3bn).

Public transport clearly has a role to play but needs improvement.

We would like our MP to demand that the ESCC/BSIP funds are spent/restored – and to fight for an expanded, better and inclusive public transport network, including to our major hospitals, so cutting dependence on private cars, improving public health, and complying with COP26 objectives to reduce carbon emissions/fossil fuel use.

For the latest breaking news where you live in Sussex, follow us on Twitter @Sussex_World and like us on Facebook @SussexWorldUK