Have your say Bypass plans

Whether you need hospital care for a chronic condition now, are hoping to have children in the future, recognise the risk of needing an A&E or have family members in need of acute care, the hospitals across Sussex are there for everyone.

In July, Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WSHT) and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH) announced that they are exploring a merger.

WSHT, which runs the hospitals in Chichester, Worthing and Shoreham are is an excellent trust. This time last year it became the first non-specialist acute hospital trust to be awarded Outstanding in all the CQC’S key inspection areas.

I was involved in the inspection. It was rigorous and demanding but it also provided the opportunity to showcase the fantastic work staff do and highlight their dedication to exceptional patient care.

WSHT and BSUH have been working together for four years and in that time BSUH has become the fastest improving acute hospital trust in England and is now rated Good overall and Outstanding for caring by the CQC.

Merging gives both trusts the opportunity to take even greater strides to improve the quality of the care for patients in Sussex.

As leaders at both trusts prepare their case for merging, people living locally have an opportunity to influence the future of the healthcare they might need.

There are a lot of decisions to be made about how the new trust works, what its values are and even what it is called, so the trusts have created a survey to involve people across Sussex and it would be great to have this input from the local community.

I would urge everyone to use this opportunity to have their say. The survey is available at www. westernsussexhospitals. nhs.uk/merger . It closes on Monday, October 26.

LYN CAMPS Lead Governor, WSHT Trust

The least popular, most expensive, land guzzling and wilfully destructive route for the Arundel Bypass is chosen.

Little will change for all the costs. Queues will be proportionately worse further along and Storrington’s air will not improve.

Meanwhile, Highways England have attempted no traffic flow management. Why no flexible, electronic speed signs set well before major junctions like Crossbush?

Why no 40mph limit between frequent roundabouts the Chichester bypass needs?

There’s a Climate Emergency still so why is there no 55mph limit on any road, especially on lethal “smart” motorways?

All these are simple, immediate, cost-effective, common-sense measures to reduce most hold-ups and avoid further squandering of our most precious resource – the land, its productivity and its communities both human and natural.

If concession is necessary then the only alternative is the Arundel Alternative.

Climate Change will force upon us such change in our living standards that the proposed white elephant will be seen as just that in 30 years or so.

J.SHIPPAM Canal Road Yapton