Mayor's Christmas Morning visit to Irvine Unit

Continuing a long-cherished tradition, Town Mayor Cllr Paul Lendon, Deputy Mayor Cllr Patrick Duart and Mayoral Consort Sandra Melvin met up with officers of the League of Friends of Bexhill Hospital at the unit on Christmas morning.

Knowing that palliative care patients have been transferred to private care while part of the unit's day hospital is converted into offices, league social committee chairman Harriett Chapman had reduced the number of gifts.

Harriett had decoratively wrapped 55 parcels from the charity for patients.

But Senior Sister Linda Barker and her staff were caring for only 42 patients.

Some were going home to spend Christmas with their families. Others were gathered in the brightly-decorated atrium beside the tinsel-hung Christmas tree donated by the Snow Time Christmas Tree Farm at Ninfield.

They were awaiting a traditional Christmas lunch of turkey with all the trimmings.

Others were visited by the Mayoral party as they lay in their beds.

Staff were sporting anything from fairy's wings to tinselled hats. Even the wheelchairs had been decorated.

Housekeeper Janet Deeprose, who has seen 20 such Christmasses in her service at the Irvine Unit, was busy pushing a trolley laden with mince pies about the bays.

Together with Harriett Chapman, chairman Stuart Earl, acting secretary Peter Mitchell-Davis, president John Dowling and his wife and fellow committee member Ann made up the League of Friends party.

The league chairman has sought a New Year meeting with Alice Webster, head of adult services for Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust because of the charity's concern over the closure of the 12 beds at the unit.

In a pre-Christmas statement, the Trust said this was a temporary measure because of the building work but said it would be reviewed later.

A Trust spokesman said: "The building work currently underway involves the reconfiguration of office space to co-locate Community Teams which will increase the flexibility of services to respond to patient need.

"This will allow staff to work between all of the Intermediate Care services, improving communication and the patient experience by having a smoother transition between bed-based facilities and returning home.

"A separate therapy room in which group sessions will be held is also being created."

The day hospital has not been in use for some time. When asked by the Observer if the alterations would affect its future use, a Trust spokesman said: "No it doesn't. The offices that are being re-configured were already offices, so the Day Hospital Area is as it was."