Has the Royal Sussex County Hospital shrunk so it cannot give the breast cancer unit more room?

What happened to the space that would have been occupied by the A&E unit they wished to move from the Princess Royal Hospital - or did the powers-that-be realise many patients would not have survived the long road journey to reach the Sussex County Hospital from darkest Mid Sussex and would not need beds?

There is only one thing wrong with this hospital and that is its size. The waste of staff energy, time and money moving from A to B to C must be astronomic.

I was in for a month last year - staff and treatment were superb - but the time wasted was most noticeable.

One lady was told she could probably go to a nursing home the next day, after doctors' rounds and final say-so.

She was dressed and ready after breakfast and social services were to visit her at lunchtime at the home to discuss her future. Coffee time came, lunchtime came, teatime came.

It was well after 4.30pm before the doctors appeared and she was given the all-clear.

Then there was a mad rush to get medicines from the pharmacy before it closed.

It was nobody's fault but the doctors started their rounds at the top of the tower block and it took all day to reach our ward - ridiculous.

The result was one bed occupied all day, nursing home, transport and social workers' day plans were disrupted and an upset patient was unsure what was happening.

And I do not suppose she was the only one.

-Mrs J M Page, Dean Court Road, Rottingdean