Statement from our Chief Medical Officer, Prof Katie Urch:
“We wish to thank everyone who has signed the petition regarding the future of the Cath Lab at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester.
“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 – due to issues with ventilation – one option we are carefully considering is a full renovation. 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.”