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To: Queen Victoria Hospital Board and NHS England & NHS Improvement (NHSE & I)

Stop Queen Victoria Hospital Merger and protect Specialist Services

12/09/22

It's been almost two years since we started our campaign to stop the proposed merger between Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, and University Hospital Sussex, but finally we have received the news we have all been working towards. All work on the merger has been stopped and we have been informed that this is not a pause but a final decision not to go ahead with the merger now or in the future.

Recent whistleblowing by consultants at USH and the subsequent CQC reports highlighting significant ongoing patient safety concerns have proved that merger with them would have been a disaster for QVH. We want to thank each and every one of you that has been involved in supporting us during our fight to save these internationally respected specialist services. We now need leadership put in place that understands and values this unique hospital and its staff. Not a leadership team that is willing to sell it off the highest bidder, instead a leadership team that will fight for its future by building on its strengths and working with like-minded organisations.

Thank you all for helping us to get our voices heard!

Protect the world-famous specialist reconstructive services that Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (QVH) provides for patients living in Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the entire UK and STOP the proposed merger with a super-trust.

Why is this important?

The pioneering surgery QVH is famous for is at risk of being lost forever should a merger be approved.

The multiple mergers between NHS hospitals occurring in the last decade have commonly resulted in hidden and unchallenged loss of services. This risk is posed to QVH specialist services this time.

It has been proposed that QVH merges with a super-sized trust Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WSHT) and Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH), whose focus is providing local services for people living in Sussex ONLY.

QVH is a specialist NHS trust that sits in Sussex. Unlike district general hospitals that only serve the local population, QVH provides specialist services for patients living in a much wider area - Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the rest of the UK.

The services under threat include specialist breast cancer free flap reconstruction surgery (QVH performs 10% of all of the total cases in the UK), specialist eye operations (QVH set up the first UK Eye Bank and performs hundreds of complex corneal surgery on adults and children each year), facial palsy services (QVH is the largest centre in the UK), complex hand surgery (QVH performs reattachment of fingers and thumbs traumatically amputated), head and neck cancer surgery (QVH is the 4th largest unit in the UK), orthodontics (QVH is again the 4th largest treatment unit in the UK) and complex surgery for all types of skin cancer including melanoma.

For more information about this campaign please visit - http://sossqvh.co.uk/
East Grinstead RH19 3DZ, UK

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Updates

2022-09-13 11:02:50 +0100

Petition is successful with 13,760 signatures

2021-03-31 13:21:10 +0100

Many of you have been asking for an update on what is happening with the QVH acquisition and is there anything more you can do to help. One simple way is to follow us on Twitter or Facebook and re-tweet and share all our posts.

There has been a cultural shift with the new governors being far more pro-active in their demands for information as opposed to the passive approach taken by previous governors of just accepting what the exec board handed out. As public governors they represent YOU so write to them and raise the concerns you want put to the board. (Find info, example questions and where to send them – https://sossqvh.co.uk/vote/)

During April the strategic case for acquisition will be carried out. This needs to be evidence-based which so far has not been the case. Why is this the only option being considered? We must act now, thousands of us have come together to get our voices heard and protect our right to these vital services. Keep spreading the word. Thank you!

2020-12-20 09:58:18 +0000

10,000 signatures reached

2020-11-24 08:51:52 +0000

5,000 signatures reached

2020-11-21 11:44:18 +0000

1,000 signatures reached

2020-11-20 23:49:39 +0000

500 signatures reached

2020-11-20 18:19:15 +0000

100 signatures reached

2020-11-20 17:10:42 +0000

50 signatures reached

2020-11-20 16:32:33 +0000

25 signatures reached

2020-11-20 15:57:34 +0000

10 signatures reached