Nicholas Soames, the Mid Sussex MP, has written in the strongest possible terms to the Chairman of the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, and the Secretary of State, explaining to them yet again why a full maternity service must be retained at the Princess Royal Hospital.

Mr Soames has told Mrs Hewitt MP that he will be seeking to raise the matter in a debate on the floor of the House of Commons as soon as the House returns.

Mr Soames has also written to Cllr Robin Brown, the Chairman of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, to urge him to use his powers to call in any decision made by the Board of the Hospital Trust for detailed examination; to call independent witnesses on maternity services and if necessary for the Scrutiny Committee to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health.

Commenting Mr Soames said; “Everyone who lives in Mid Sussex looks to the Chairman of the Trust and his Board, the Secretary of State, the Primary Care Trust and the Scrutiny Committee to protect the interests of the local residents by seeing to it that maternity services are retained at the Princess Royal Hospital and that mothers do not have to be transferred to West or East Sussex, Surrey and Kent to have their babies.”

Nicholas Soames also added that he was not at all happy with the way that the Royal Colleges appeared to be driving the Hospital Trust, a matter that he has also raised with the Secretary of State.