Acute cardiology centre will stay at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester

The NHS Trust running St Richard’s Hospital says the site will continue to operate as an acute cardiology centre, whatever the outcome of a review into its Cath Lab.

The University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust is still deciding whether to move the Cath Lab service to Worthing or refurbish the existing one in Chichester.

It comes as a petition to keep the facility in Chichester has reached almost ten thousand signatures to keep the Cath Lab and anger from locals who say they are having to travel further for treatment.

Prof Katie Urch, chief medical officer at University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We absolutely understand the strength of feeling that patients – and indeed, our staff – have towards their local services.

“The temporary closure of the Cath Lab was sadly necessary because of ventilation issues. Putting that right will cost about £2m – and take up to two years – so we want to take a little time to get the decision around this service right, and to make sure we come up with the best possible solution.

“We are investing heavily in St Richard’s Hospital, and a range of clinical services there, and we will continue to do so - it is a vital site not just for people living in and around Chichester, but for our whole Trust.”

Statement from University Hospitals Sussex on St Richard's Cardiology Cath Lab: "We wish to thank everyone who has signed the petition. We absolutely understand the strength of feeling people have for their local services, so we would like to take this opportunity to provide some further information, and context, for everyone.

"As you would expect, we have a duty to ensure that any decision about our clinical services, especially one involving significant public investment, results in the safest, most effective and sustainable care for our patients.

"Following the Cath Lab's temporary closure, one option we are carefully considering is a full renovation to address the ventilation issues. This would cost around £2 million and take between 18 and 24 months to complete. 

"However, our St Richard's Cath Lab is only used for pacemaker and implantable defibrillator procedures, which accounts for just 5% of the Trust's total complex cardiac activity.  

"Furthermore, patients from the Chichester area are routinely referred to other hospitals in Southampton, Worthing, Portsmouth, Brighton and Hammersmith for procedures including coronary angiograms, coronary angioplasty, ablation, percutaneous valve procedures, pacemaker lead extraction and cardiac surgery.

"So, before committing to a permanent solution, we just want to take a little time to assess all clinical and financial considerations, and hear from patients and staff, to ensure we make the best possible decision. That is the clinically led process we are currently undertaking.

"Another option is to relocate the pacing service to our two modern Cath Labs in Worthing which have spare capacity. This would enable us to consolidate staff and resources to improve overall service consistency and out-of-hours cover for cardiac patients. Currently, the St Richard's Cath Lab is only open three days a week and it does not provide an out of hours service.

"Evaluating all these considerations is a complex process but we want to assure everyone that our priority remains the long-term future of high-quality cardiac care. And to be absolutely clear, no matter what option is preferred, St Richard's will continue to operate as an acute cardiology centre taking emergency patients from A&E, with a consultant-led cardiology ward and outpatients' service. We are investing heavily in the site, which is vitally important to the local community, and to our Trust.

"We aim to complete our review as soon as possible to provide certainty to patients, staff and the wider community. We will update everyone again in the near future." 

In September, Chichester MP Jess Brown-Fuller released a statement on her website saying "The services provided in a cath lab are indispensable for residents in Chichester, particularly given our demographic of a higher-than-average older population. Should the hospital lose this critical resource and diminish its clinical capabilities, I am sure that the cost would be far higher than zeros on a spreadsheet - it would be paid for in people’s health and wellbeing.