Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust accused of ‘hiding behind a cloak of confidentiality’

The hospital, in Rustington, closed ‘temporarily’ in November 2023 after water leaks damaged ceilings and issues were found with the heating system.

One year later and there is still no news about if and when the hospital will re-open.

The issue was raised during a meeting of West Sussex County Council’s health & adult social care scrutiny committee on Wednesday (November 27).

James Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton East) described the situation as ‘outrageous’.

While not providing figures, he told councillors that the hospital had a backlog of repairs, which would cost ‘a considerable number of millions of pounds’ to complete.

Dr Walsh added: “My reading of that situation is that we are being softened up – that this is going to cost too much and they can’t afford to do it and they will therefore bring forward proposals to close Zachary Merton Hospital.

“That is very clearly on the cards. But they won’t say so. They are hiding behind a cloak of confidentiality.”

His frustration was shared by vice-chair Alison Cooper (Con, Rustington), who criticised the ‘unsatisfactory communication’ from the Trust.

Both she and Dr Walsh also shared concerns that ‘hundreds of thousands of pounds’ of S106 money – money contributed by developers which had been ring-fenced for health use – would have to be handed back if it was not used.

Chairman Garry Wall agreed to write to the Trust again, demanding information ‘in the strongest possible terms’.

A Trust spokesman said no decisions had been made about the future of the hospital.

They added: “Safe and quality care for our patients remain our priority and our teams are making sure that people are receiving the best possible care, in the most appropriate place, from hospital to community care, or within their own homes.

“Since the hospital’s temporary closure, we’ve commissioned an independent condition survey which has found substantial works are required to bring the hospital to the right standard for our patients and staff, which also requires significant financial investment.

“Given the level of investment required, it’s important that we work closely with all our partners, so any funding supports patients in ways that are sustainable and fit for the future.”