You'll be priority

Judith Clabby, director of Corporate Services for the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, told them their daughter would continue to receive the home visits and care she needs.

The assurance came after the Observer highlighted the concerns of Ian and Sarah Wickenden, of St George's Road, that specialist home care nurses were having their hours reduced.

But Mr Wickenden said on Wednesday he had not received satisfactory answers.

"Our daughter's high dependency on the team will be easing off but what about other sick children in the future? It's a service people don't know about until you need it."

Mr and Mrs Wickenden feared cuts would put their two year old daughter Izzy at greater risk of infection while she is undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment for acute lymphatic leukaemia.

Last week after a long day at Great Ormond Street Hospital, they had to call the home team to visit Izzy. One nurse was on holiday and the other had done her hours so they were visited on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday by the nurse who would be returning to the wards.

Izzy had further treatment at the London hospital on Tuesday this week but her father said if they had any concerns over this bank holiday weekend, they would not be able to call on the home team.

It would mean an admission to a ward at the Conquest which Izzy hated, put her at greater risk of infection and cost the NHS more than treating her at home.

The family, along with other parents reliant on the home nurses, had heard in a letter from the home care team of "the decision to reduce the service."

Judith Clabby responded by saying: "I spoke personally to Mr Wickenden. Theirs is a priority case. Their daughter will continue to receive the home visits and care she needs.

"One of the part-time nurses providing the service has recently left, the gap is being covered by staff from Kipling Ward (children's) whilst the paediatric department review the service and decide how best to run the service if the post is not refilled."

She said it was well known hospitals needed to save money but "as we have previously said, any vacancies arising, as in this case, are being reviewed to see whether the duties of the post can be managed by the existing service, another part of the service or whether the post has to be recruited into.

"That review is currently being done in the case of this service. It is most unfortunate that the letter you refer to has caused such parental anxiety."

Sue Matthews, of College Road, was so dismayed to hear about "yet another cut of services at the Conquest" that she was prompted to write a letter to the Observer.

She said she had been "greatly supported" by the community paediatric nurses since her 11-year-old daughter Rosie was born with Spina Bifida.

Sue said their visits kept her daughter out of hospital which Rosie hated. She could go to her GP for certain things but they "don't know anything about catheters for children.

A mother whose daughter has physical and mental disabilities was also keen to see the service maintained.

"It's too important to me," said Karen Jarvis, of Camber Close.

Her daughter is now nine and a half years old and she says she has relied on the home care team 100 per cent.

"This week they have been out to me twice and I have rung them twice for advice. We really don't want to be going to the hospital if we can help it."