The Friends of Crowborough Hospital have agreed to provide match funding to enable the refurbishment of the Crowborough Birthing Centre.
As previously reported on CrowboroughLife, maternity services in the North Weald including the midwife-led unit at Crowborough Hospital will be transfering to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust at the beginning of April.
Work which could easily cost around £¼ million may be required. In an article in the Friends latest Newsletter, it has been announced that the Trustees have agreed to provide 50% matching funding, and they confirm that the £125,000 is already available from past fundraising.
The Friends have known for a long time that the Birthing Centre needs updating but they were reluctant to spend money until arrangements to transfer maternity services to a new provider was sorted-out. It is hoped when the Crowborough Birthing Centre is being managed by the Trust which run the labour ward at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury, women in the north part of East Sussex will have much more choice and more flexibility of pathways. It is certainly hoped it will be easy for more women to chose to give birth in Crowborough.
Chantal Wilson, Chairman has also said the Friends would also be prepared to initiate a community campaign and use our best endeavours to raise
more money should that be required and justified.
In response the GP which Chairs the Clinical Commisioning Group (CCG), Elizabeth Gill, has said:
As you know, our main vision as a CCG is to commission excellent care for our patients and we havereally listened to their views and embedded them in our strategy. We are delighted that we have made the transfer of maternity services as we know that that was what the population wanted and we also believe it will lead to significant improvements in the service.
The offer from the friends is overwhelming, thank you so much. This will make a huge impact on the planned changes. I really cannot put into words my thanks and delight and I am sure that all those at the CCG who have worked so hard to achieve this will also be incredibly pleased alongside the women and families of this area.
Other Health ingews
Since January the X-Ray department at Crowborough Hospital has been working 5 days a week, Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm.
Two doctors at the Rotherfield Surgery and Brook Health Centre in Crowborough are retiring. Dr Sue Taylor will be finishing on Friday 11th March, and Dr Kay Sasada will be retiring from the practice on Thursday 25th February.
