Issue - items at meetings - '3 Ts' Development of services at the Royal Sussex County Hospital

Report of the Acting Director of Strategy and Governance. Duane Passman, 3T Programme Director, Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals Trust, will give a presentation on this Item and the relevant slides are included with the papers (copy attached)

88.1    Duane Passman, 3T Programme Director at Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals Trust (BSUHT), gave a presentation and answered members’ questions on the proposed ‘3T’ development of the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) site. Glyn Jones, Chair of BSUHT, John O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of South Downs Health NHS Trust, and Darren Grayson, Chief Executive of NHS Brighton & Hove, also responded to questions on this topic.

88.2    In reply to a question about stroke rehabilitation services, members were told that some post acute rehab would be available on the RSCH site, but longer term rehab would be based at Princess Royal Hospital in Hayward’s Heath. This is in line with best practice for rehabilitation services – i.e. it is widely considered that major tertiary hospitals do not generally provide an ideal environment for long term rehabilitation.

88.3    In response to questions concerning the relocation of Hurstwood Park neuroscience unit and the creation of a regional trauma centre on the RSCH site, the committee was informed that the 3T plans would guarantee that these services were locally available. This presented a considerable achievement for the local health economy, as there had been a very real chance of this provision being lost to Sussex, with local residents forced to travel to London hospitals to access these key specialist services.

88.4    In answer to a question about commercial partners for the 3T development, members were told that Laing O’Rourke had been appointed following the appropriate NHS procurement process.

88.5    In response to a query regarding parking and traffic congestion, the committee was informed that a traffic impact assessment would be undertaken as part of the preparations for 3T, and appropriate actions taken in response to this. As tertiary services at the RSCH are expanded, there will be a parallel relocation of RSCH secondary services into local community and primary healthcare settings which should mean that the overall ‘footfall’ on the RSCH site is reduced rather than increased. Mr Passman offered to come back to the committee when the details of the traffic impact assessment were available.

88.6    In response to queries about helicopter access to the RSCH site, members were informed that the hospital helipad would be operational during daylight hours only.

88.7    In answer to a question about the details of the RSCH re-build, members were told that the re-build would be in stages, ensuring that no service would require more than one decant. Whenever possible, services would move directly from their current location into new accommodation (e.g. patients in the older people’s wards currently located in the Barry building would be moved directly into newly built accommodation on the RSCH site, rather than being decanted into temporary accommodation while the Barry building was demolished and its replacement constructed).

88.8    Councillor Craig Turton stated that the local community should be proud of having this important regional health resource in Brighton & Hove. Councillor Turton also noted that the Local Authority, working in conjunction with its health partners and the local bus company, had a key role to play in managing public transport access to the RSCH site. To date, the hospital trust had engaged fully with local residents, and Councillor Turton trusted that this positive attitude would be maintained throughout the 3T project. Mr Passman assured members that it would be, as the trust was wholly committed to working with the local community on this issue.

88.9    RESOLVED – that the report be noted and Mr Passman be thanked for his presentation.