Bexhill and Battle MP, Huw Merriman, recently visited two local hospitals to meet the staff following the announcement that East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has been placed in special measures. His first visit was to the Eye Unit at Bexhill Hospital and the second to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings last Thursday where he spent the whole afternoon visiting the wards.
Following tours of both hospitals, Huw said “As the new MP for Bexhill and Battle, I wanted to visit the local hospitals to meet the staff and assure them of my support as the East Sussex Healthcare Trust begins its journey out of special measures. I wanted to assess staff morale and see the day to day life at the hospitals for myself to get a better understanding of the services they provide and the pressures the staff are under.
I visited a number of hospital wards and departments with clinical and nursing staff and spoke freely to everyone who was able to spare me the time. I found that the Trust has incredibly hard-working staff whose commitment to patients and their families was clear to see. They are rightly proud of the services they provide. They know that they are valued and doing a great job because the patient feedback is posted across the hospital wards. I am confident that with such dedicated staff, the Trust has the solid foundation it needs to ensure that our local hospitals can and will move quickly out of special measures.
The Trust is working hard on their improvement plan and putting in place the structures it needs to provide local people with high quality healthcare they deserve. I will be giving the new management team and staff my full support and am looking forward to returning to the Conquest to spend an overnight weekend shift in A&E in the near future.”