Rustington Parish Council has reaffirmed its opposition to the closure and proposed sale of Zachary Merton Hospital, agreeing a series of actions aimed at pressing the NHS to reconsider the future use of the site.

Zachary Merton Hospital, Glenville Road, was temporarily closed at the end of 2023, due to significant estates issues that affected the condition and safety of the building.

Following the closure, the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (SCFT) commissioned an independent survey. The Trust said this confirmed that ‘extensive repairs’, estimated at around eight million pounds were required to bring the building ‘up to the standard we expect for both patients and staff’.

Amid fears the site will now be put up for sale, Rustington Parish Council’s Chairman, Andy Cooper, wrote to Mike Jennings, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. According to the Parish Council, Mr Cooper was acting ‘on behalf of the community’, expressing ‘concerns at the lack of communication and consultation’ regarding a much-loved asset.

At its monthly meeting at the end of January, held at The Woodlands Centre, Councillors considered correspondence relating to the hospital’s closure, including exchanges between the Council Chairman and Mr Jennings. Members also noted a letter of support from Angmering Parish Council, backing the Council’s position.

The Chairman said the council was representing ‘almost 30,000 people from Rustington, Angmering and East Preston’ and remained ‘extremely concerned’ about the Trust’s decision to permanently close and market the hospital site for sale without a promised public consultation.

In a letter, the chairman described the significance of the site to the community: “This is a public building gifted to the NHS for the benefit of the community. The wilful neglect of this historic building is a scandal, aimed directly at the local community. If maintained properly, the service could have survived, and the loss to the local community of East Arun is considerable.”

Following detailed discussion on next steps, Councillors agreed that a comprehensive pack of correspondence should be forwarded to West Sussex County Council – for consideration by the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee’s Business Planning Group. This is due to discuss the hospital closure on February 11. Copies of correspondence and meeting notes will also be sent to the Integrated Care Board.

The Council also agreed to investigate the possibility of holding a public meeting, issue press releases as the situation evolves, and continue lobbying for a full public consultation by the appropriate NHS Trust. A Government Petition registered by councillor Bennett will remain in abeyance for the time being.

The Council formally resolved to approve all of these actions and agreed an additional step: to write to the Secretary of State requesting that the sale of the site be halted.

On August 1, 2023, SCFT became the landlord of the Zachary Merton site, taking over responsibility for the property from NHS Property Services. The site had been used by SCFT to provide intermediate care for patients across West Sussex who required rehabilitation.

Shortly after assuming responsibility for the building, there were a ‘series of issues with the building’ which ‘seriously impacted our ability to continue to run services’, the Trust said. This led to the temporary closure of the hospital as it was ‘no longer safe to continue delivering care’.

Dr Karen Eastman, Chief Medical Officer for the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, said providing the ‘best possible care for our patients’ is ‘always at the heart of what we do’.

She added: “We are working closely with our health and care partners to shape a neighbourhood health approach that genuinely reflects the needs of the community, including in the Arun area. We know that, for many people, receiving care at home can support better physical health, improved wellbeing, and a smoother recovery. We understand that there is a strong connection with the building from the local community, and for many of our staff, however we can’t deliver care from a building that isn’t safe for patients or staff. Locally we continue to offer a wide range of healthcare services, including Urgent Community Response which supports people to stay at home when acutely unwell or return home safely from hospital, as well as virtual wards that bring hospital‑level care directly into people’s homes. We know that, for many people, receiving care in the comfort of your own home can support better physical health, improved wellbeing and overall recovery rate.”

In the 25 months since the closure, the Trust said it has cared for 11 per cent more local patients, when compared to the 25 months before the closure.

It added: “More patients are receiving hospital-level care at home through our virtual wards, which provide clinical monitoring and treatment in a patient’s own home. In addition, an increased number of patients are being discharged from acute hospitals into our HomeFirst service. HomeFirst provides step-down intermediate care through community-based assessments and interventions delivered in a patient’s home, supporting recovery and closely monitoring their health in the early days after discharge to help prevent re-admission.

For those patients who do require inpatient intermediate care, we continue to provide this through our wider network of Intermediate Care Units across West Sussex, including facilities at Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital, Salvington Lodge, Worthing, and Arundel and District Community Hospital.”

At the Parish Council meeting, Councillor Bennett updated members on a Freedom of Information request he submitted in December 2024 regarding a survey undertaken at the Zachary Merton site. Members noted the Trust’s response that, while the survey report is now held, it is being withheld under Section 43(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 – which ‘provides an exemption based on likelihood to prejudice the commercial interests of any person(s) including those of the trust and our suppliers’.

Mr Cooper, in his letter, wrote: “The lack of consultation and transparency regarding the survey detailing the proposed £8 million cost of renovation has been withheld from an FOI request, worryingly also stating that the trust was not in possession of it at the time of informing stakeholders of the closure.”

Councillors agreed that all correspondence relating to the Freedom of Information request should be included in the letter to the Secretary of State.

Reiterating the Council’s position, the Chairman concluded by urging greater scrutiny and public engagement, stating: “My Council, and the residents of all affected Towns and Villages, asks that your Committee uses its powers of scrutiny to call the decision in and ensures the Trust provides timely public engagement as originally promised.”