Local MP Norman Baker has renewed his call for the resignation the Chief Executive and Chairman of East Sussex Healthcare Trust following today’s damning report by the Care Quality Commission.

The commission placed each trust in England into a band based upon the number of ‘Risks’ and ‘Elevated Risks’ identified in the report. East Sussex Healthcare was placed in ‘Band 2’ marking the trust as ‘High Risk’ overall, placing it amongst the worst in the country. Highlighted risks include the very concerning fact that users of the service are at danger of dying even when diagnosed with low risk conditions.

The current management of East Sussex Healthcare Trust is also responsible for the disastrous downgrading of services at Eastbourne DGH, a move that has already had a negative impact for many of Norman’s constituents in Seaford and Polegate.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust was placed in Band 3, putting it in the lower half of the scale but without highlighting the trust as high risk.

Norman says:

“This report shows what I sadly already knew; the upper management of East Sussex Healthcare is letting down my constituents across the board, both in terms of the range of services offered at Eastbourne and now the safety of what’s left. There needs to be changes at the top to reverse this dangerous trend and that means the replacement of the Chief Executive and Chairman.

 “I am very concerned that my constituents are being given a second rate services when it comes to healthcare.” 

Norman Baker MP has slammed the management of East Sussex Healthcare Trust as top doctors at Eastbourne DGH sign a letter saying paediatric service changes at the hospital are “unsafe” and predict “catastrophes and serious failure”.

Last year, despite vehement opposition, the Trust pushed through plans to ‘reconfigure services’ which resulted in EDGH losing emergency and high risk elective surgery and orthopaedics. Then despite the decision by a previous Health Secretary that the hospital should retain full maternity services, the management has cut maternity services and paediatrics by saying it is a “temporary move”, but the MP predicts there is nothing temporary about it and that it is a backdoor attempt by the management to push through the removal of maternity services for good.

Now, in a move that will raise concerns with local people who are served by the DGH, top doctors have slammed changes to the hospital.

In light of the escalating concerns about the decisions of the top management at the Trust, the MP is enlisting NHS England to thoroughly investigate the decisions made by the management at the Trust and has written to the Chair, Prof Malcolm Grant.

Norman says:

“Top level managers at the Trust have got to wake up and smell the coffee.  Local residents are up in arms about what they are doing to local health services, I and Stephen Lloyd have vocally opposed the actions that they are taking and now doctors at the EDGH have stated explicitly that the changes are ‘unsafe’.  The Chief Executive and the Chairman however just ooze complacency.  They seem to completely reject all opposition out of hand and just carry on regardless – decimating local health services.

“It is time for a full investigation to take place into the actions of the top management at the Trust.”