Concerns have been raised in Parliament over a decision by health chiefs to permanently close Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre at night.

Now Department of Health and Social Care minister Karyn Smith is to meet with Crawley MP Peter Lamb to discuss what can be done.

It follows concerns raised by the MP in the House of Commons when he told the health minister that a commitment was given by health authorties for a 24-hour urgent treatment centre when the A&E unit at Crawley Hospital closed in 2004.

That commitment, he said, was now being broken and he urged the minister to meet him to discss how services could be preserved and improved.

Concerns are growing after health chiefs announced that a temporary night-time closure of Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre is to become permanent

placeholder image — Concerns are growing after health chiefs announced that a temporary night-time closure of Crawley Urgent Treatment Centre is to become permanent

The minister agreed to talks and told Mr Smith: “We are determined to have co-located Urgent Treatment Centres. That is a matter for the local commissioner but I am happy to talk about it further.”

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust confirmed earlier this month that a pilot of temporary hours at the centre – which treats people from Horsham and surrounding areas as well as Crawley – is to become permanent.

The trust said the decision followed ‘a comprehensive evaluation’ and was supported by NHS Sussex and the West Sussex Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.

It said that the initial temporary change aimed to improve staffing resilience “and ensure patients received safe, high quality care during the times when patients need us the most.

“National standards require UTCs to open for at least 12 hours a day, with many operating from 8am to 8pm. Crawley UTC will continue to exceed this by remaining open for 14.5 hours daily.”

But the news sparked the launch of a protest petition – see bit.ly/4r0CjYO – by local resident Aiden Zeal which now has 1,245 signatures. Residents say they face ‘growing anxiety over their medical care options.’

The petition states: “We understand the need for efficient resource management within the NHS, but permanent closure is not the answer. Instead, we advocate for strengthening our local healthcare systems and ensuring that resources are distributed in a manner that serves the best interests of residents.

“We call on the Sussex NHS to reassess this stance and explore alternatives that would avoid permanently closing the overnight services at Crawley Hospital. Potential solutions could include hiring more staff, re-evaluating budget allocations, and seeking community and governmental support for improved funding.”

Meanwhile, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has announced plans for a new Urgent Treatment Centre to be built at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.