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In her weekly column for Sussex World, Alison Griffiths MP explains why both Littlehampton and Rustington need a serious healthcare plan, and why restoring local step-down beds must come first.
More than 1,600 people have completed my survey on the sale of NHS land at the former Littlehampton Hospital site, and I have formally asked NHS Property Services to pause the sale while questions are answered.
We need to know who declared the land surplus, what alternative healthcare uses were considered, and where the proceeds would go.
My office is examining the 1911 Deed of Gift for land given “for a Cottage Hospital”. I have requested the deed, including plans, covenants, conditions, or charitable restrictions. Its terms must be understood before any sale goes ahead.
The central question is what healthcare our communities need. Littlehampton’s former hospital site and Zachary Merton in Rustington should be seriously assessed to test the case for reopening them as healthcare facilities. Neither town should be written out of the future of local care without a transparent examination of the options.
The most urgent gap, however, is the loss of local intermediate and step-down beds. These help patients who are ready to leave an acute hospital, but are not yet well enough to return home safely. Restoring that capacity within our Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency must be the immediate priority.
Zachary Merton may offer the quickest route. If retaining the full net proceeds from any Littlehampton sale would support it to be repaired, refurbished, and reopened with step-down beds, that option should be considered alongside all others.
That would not settle Littlehampton’s future. It would address the immediate problem while we work towards healthcare provision for Littlehampton that is modern, accessible, and fit for the town’s needs.
This should never become Littlehampton versus Rustington. The objective is stronger local healthcare across our area, with decisions based on patient need rather than the convenience of an estates spreadsheet.
Until that plan exists, the sale should remain paused. The land, buildings, and any money from them must remain part of a plan for local patients.