People to march agains hospital cuts

And organisers urge everyone to join in and express their anger at cuts which could put lives on the line.

The march begins at Uckfield Community Technology College at 10am. It will go along Southview Drive, the High Street and enters Luxford Field via the lower entrance in Civic Approach.

Police have given permission for the event to go ahead and anticipate the march will finish by 11.30am.

Roads will be closed to traffic while the marchers go through.

The protest is being co-ordinated by Charles Hendry MP and the march will be led by the Bishop of Lewes, the Right Reverend Wallace Benn.

Also taking part will be local GPs, nurses, hospital workers and councillors.

They are taking up cudgels against proposals to cut A&E and maternity care at the Princess Royal Hospital forcing Uckfield and Lewes residents to travle to Brighton or Kent.

Another proposal in the pipeline is to scrap a ward at Uckfield

Community Hospital which provides respite and medically-supervised palliative care to terminally ill patients.

Uckfield community partnership co-ordinator Barry Knights told the

Express: 'Response to the Support our Hospitals campaign has been extremely successful.

'People have made it clear they want services retained, improved and expanded - not cut.

'These views expressed at packed Primary Care Trust meetings show democracy working - autocrats ignoring a community's wishes do so at their peril.

'Commonsense dictates the Princess Royal is a central point. Brighton is not a destination to which I would wish to be taken in an emergency due to distance in road miles and congestion.

'Look at a map and you'll see getting to Brighton Hospital is easier across the Channel on a calm day than from Lewes or Uckfield.'

Almost 200 GPs from 40 surgeries covering 300,000 patients in East and West Sussex have unanimously objected to cuts by signing a petition.

Newick GP and medical campaign co-ordinator Dr Ashby Herry said: 'Local consultants and doctors are now putting forward a formal new PCT Option D which centres on preserving the PRH's 24-hour A&E department, full ITU, acute medical services and consultant-led maternity admissions.

Charles Hendry MP said: 'No-one highlights more than Bishop Benn that this is a community event and that these are issues which unite us all.

'The Bishop is well-known for his support for our health service and it is wonderful that he will be there tomorrow.'