A state-of-the-art Acute Stroke Centre (ASC) is on track to open at St Richard’s Hospital in Chichester by 2028, heralding a new era of 24/7 specialist stroke care in West Sussex.
A planning application to build an extension onto the hospital and expand an existing ward to accommodate the new centre has been submitted by University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust.
Subject to approval, building works will begin next year to enable the new centre of excellence for stroke care in West Sussex to open for patients in 2027.
“By developing a large Acute Stroke Centre at St Richard’s, we will be able to deliver significant benefits for our patients,” said Dr Ryan Watkins, Chief of Service for the Specialist Division at University Hospitals Sussex.
“These include a reduction in deaths from stroke, fewer people living with long-term disability, and ultimately, more individuals retaining their independence and avoiding admission to care homes, as well as shorter hospital stays for our patients.”
Larger modernised centre
The new ASC will provide 37 inpatient beds in side-rooms and bays, as well as a large gym for physio and occupational therapy, various consultation, treatment and office spaces to enable multidisciplinary stroke teams to work together in one place.
Currently, both St Richard’s and Worthing hospitals have smaller stroke units that offer good stroke care, but they are not large enough to consistently meet the new national standards expected of an Acute Stroke Centre.
Over the last five years, NHS partners have been looking at how to meet those standards and deliver the care expected for our population, and through a detailed programme of work, including public consultation, it was agreed by NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board in November 2023 to develop a new ASC at St Richard’s Hospital.
When the new centre in Chichester opens, Worthing Hospital will no longer provide acute stroke care. Instead, patients will be admitted to the ASC at St Richard’s, or the Comprehensive Stroke Centre at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. Working together as a network, the ASC and CSC would ensure patients in West Sussex live within the recommended 60-minute ambulance journey to a specialist stroke centre.
Consultant stroke physician at Worthing Hospital, Dr Rajen Patel, said: “We know that stroke care must be provided quickly, and the overall evidence shows that travelling to a more specialised centre in the acute setting improves people’s outcomes longer term.
“The ambulance service confirmed most patients would reach us within 45 minutes and, importantly, when they arrive at an Acute Stroke Centre that is open 24 hours a day, we’ll be able to provide the scans they need, expert assessment and effective treatments more swiftly.”
National model for stroke care
The Stroke Association, the only charity in the UK providing life-long support for all stroke survivors and their families, has been supporting the creation fewer by larger more specialist centres around the country for many years.
The charity’s South-East service delivery lead, Tara Lakin, said: “There is strong evidence that reorganised acute stroke care provides better care, can save lives and improve recoveries. This can also result in greater cost effectiveness for health services.
“So, we are very pleased to see the plans for a new Acute Stroke Centre in Chichester progressing well, and we look forward to celebrating with hospital colleagues and the community when it opens in 2027.”
Dr James Ramsay, Chief Medical Officer, at NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board added: “We are delighted that plans to develop an Acute Stroke Centre in West Sussex are moving forward. This new centre will have a significant benefit for people and further improve the care they receive when they are experiencing a stroke, and mean better outcomes for local people.
“This is the result of years of hard work led by the leading stroke professionals in the area, and I want to continue to share my thanks with them and everyone involved for their determination and commitment to develop proposals that are going to improve the lives of people across West Sussex.”
For further information regarding the selection of St Richard’s Hospital as the location for the new Acute Stroke Centre in West Sussex, please refer to the consultation materials published on the NHS Sussex website.