Hospital decision ‘cons’ the town

OUR hospital has finally been turned down, so from the beginning, in spite of reassurances and time and money spent, the news is now out – we’ve been conned.

As an ex-nurse, and coming from a medical family, I know about bed-blocking, centres of excellence concentrated in one place and treating patients as far as possible in their own homes. Nevertheless, I believe that Littlehampton has some outstanding reasons for this much-needed facility, especially when the thousands of new homes are built and the roads are completely jammed, particularly in summer.

What about the “golden hour” then?

It will be interesting to see what happens to the site now, since, I believe, it is covenanted to be for “medical purposes” only.

Another new nursing home, perhaps?

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I understand that Guildhouse, the prospective developer of the hospital, is suing the Primary Care Trust in the High Court for breach of contract.

All organisations are made up of individuals.

What has happened to those who actually signed the contract?

The blame game is not an acceptable response, so let’s know who is responsible and who, if anyone, will benefit from this decision.

It is interesting to see that Chichester, Bognor Regis, Rustington and Worthing all have hospital facilities of some sort, but, as usual, Littlehampton is the poor relation and the loser.

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This treatment of the people of Littlehampton is disgraceful.

Is it incompetence, or something more sinister?

Why were we not told, honestly, at the beginning that we were not going to have a new hospital? That all the plans and expense prior to 2005 was yet another waste of taxpayers’ money.

The charade of to-ing and fro-ing, trying to keep hope alive, has been a complete waste of everyone’s efforts.

Please don’t pretend that things have changed recently.

This myth has been perpetrated for years. If anything, the facility is needed more now than it was when the hospital was knocked down.

Margaret Boulton

St Mary’s Close

Littlehampton