Brighton hospital writes to neighbours about next steps in £420 modernisation

Neighbours of Brighton and Hove’s biggest hospital have been sent a letter letting them know what to expect next now that the government has approved a £420 million modernisation.

The director in charge of the modernisation of the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Kemp Town, Duane Passman, wrote to neighbours this morning (Tuesday 6 May).

He said: “The outline business case for the £420 million redevelopment of the Royal Sussex County Hospital (RSCH) has been approved by HM Treasury and was formally announced on Thursday 1 May.

“This approval allows us to move forward with confidence into the next phase of the redevelopment: completing the detailed interior designs and preparing the site for the new hospital buildings.

“The announcement marks a genuine turning point in the future of healthcare for patients from across Brighton and Hove and beyond.

“The improvements brought about by this scheme will be experienced across the whole of our patient population from the frail elderly who are currently cared for in the second oldest ward building in the country, to those with the most specialised care needs, in services such as cancer care, neuroscience and intensive care.

“Over the coming months temporary buildings will be constructed on the RSCH site to house clinical services currently in the redevelopment area.

“The Full Business Case (FBC) for the scheme, which gives the fine detail about the redevelopment, will be submitted for approval later this year.

“Following completion of the decant programme and approval of the FBC work on the first building of the main scheme is expected to commence in the autumn of 2015.

“This is the most significant step taken to improve the quality of our hospital accommodation in a generation and I cannot stress sufficiently what this will mean to our patients from Brighton and Hove, Sussex and the wider region and to our staff who provide excellent care in difficult conditions.

“Our programme of meetings for local residents will continue throughout the redevelopment. I look forward to sharing further information with you about progress on the scheme as work progresses.”