More changes at DGH, Conquest and Bexhill amid coronavirus

Already the number of critical care beds has been doubled, chemotherapy services have been relocated and the homebirth service has been suspended with the closure of the Eastbourne Midwifery Unit.

A spokesperson at the trust which runs the three sites, said today that further changes had been made as the trust manages the Covid-19 pandemic.

That includes the temporarily move of emergency cardiology.

The spokesperson said, “The Cardiac Catheter Service has been temporarily moved to Eastbourne DGH. The out-of-hours emergency cardiology has for a number of years been provided at Eastbourne DGH one week and Conquest the next.

“This means we already have tried and tested transfer procedures to move emergency patients across the county, depending on the week.

“We anticipate 10-12 patients per week requiring emergency cardiology will be transferred to Eastbourne from the Hastings catchment area.”

Opthalmology will also see some changes.

The spokesperson said, “To minimise the risks to our patients requiring sight saving eye procedures, ophthalmology outpatient clinics have moved to Bexhill Hospital.

“The clinics are for patients who have conditions that are imminently sight or life threatening that require to be seen urgently such as acute glaucoma and wet active age-related macular degeneration.”

There will also be no phlebotomy service at Bexhill Hospital.

The spokesperson said, “Bexhill patients requiring phlebotomy that cannot be bled at their local surgery should book an appointment at either the Conquest or Eastbourne DGH.

“Patients will be given a number to ring to book an appointment for a blood test by their GP practice.”

The spokesperson also said the trust is currently experiencing high volumes of offers of support from local and national businesses.

He said, “We are extremely grateful for the support of our local community. A collection hub has been set up on each acute site to coordinate requests and support the distribution of donations.

“Please email [email protected] with donation requests.”

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