Close by Hastings railway station in the centre of the town is a walk-in health centre on Station Plaza where it is possible to see a GP without an appointment – and seek emergency help.
It is used both by visitors to the area, often foreign language, and those not registered with a GP. But there is a local NHS plan to close this down due to funding cuts, moving it to the Conquest Hospital on the very edge of Hastings. A protest meeting is being held this Friday, September 21 at 5pm at the Sussex Coast College by the station.
An hourly bus service from Rye gives access to the Conquest in an hour and a quarter, but the hourly train service enables access to the walk-in centre in 20 minutes.
Many of those in the walk-in centre needed help, but were not necessarily an accident or an emergency.
The protesters feel that, for a holiday area, this is a bogus and badly thought through “economy” and the meeting will be looking for a change of heart from the local NHS.
But in the meantime it is open every day from 8am to 8pm.
Some years ago, I lived in Torquay, where a couple of small local cottage hospitals (rather like Rye’s) also had minor injury units which could help some people’s immediate problems, while still being able to call in an ambulance when really necessary – and with Camber’s crowds maybe this would be helpful locally.
Image Credits: Rye News library .