As part of the Fit for the Future consultation, the West Sussex Primary Care Trust has received 25 alternative scenarios as to how hospitals, including Worthing, should be reconfigured.

The 25 alternatives will be added to the PCT's three short-listed options, of which two propose Worthing Hospital should be downgraded.

There is still time for more options to be added – the consultation finishes on Wednesday, November 14 – after which they will be considered by Sir Graeme Catto, who has been selected as the independent chair of the options assessment panel.

Sue Braysher, the PCT's director of contracting and performance, said: "We want to ensure that whatever option is selected for implementation will improve the healthcare available to people in West Sussex and we want to make absolutely sure that all suggested options are reviewed with the attention and independence they deserve."

The list of options submitted up to October 24 are:

*Critical care hospital in West Sussex.

*Form West Sussex Hospital Trust.

*St Richard's as MGH – major general hospital – (with consultant-led maternity unit but no midwife-led unit); Worthing as LGH – local general hospital – (with 'local acute' facility and midwife-led unit) and Princess Royal Hospital as LGH (with 'local acute' facility and midwife-led unit)

*Worthing as MGH; St Richard's and Princess Royal Hospital as LGHs.

*Worthing as MGH (with consultant-led maternity unit but no midwife-led unit), St Richard's as LGH (with 'local acute' facility and midwife-led unit), Princess Royal Hospital as LGH (with 'local acute' facility and midwife-led unit).

*Princess Royal Hospital as MGH; St Richard's as LGH; Worthing as LGH.

*Princess Royal as MGH, Worthing as Community Hospital, St Richard's as LGH.

*Three LGHs.

*Two MGHs – Worthing and Chichester (St Richard's Hospital).

*Two MGHs – Worthing and Chichester and expand Princess Royal Hospital.

*Two MGHs – Worthing and Chichester and rebuild Littlehampton Community Hospital.

*Two MGHs – Worthing and Chichester and A&E and acute cardiac/stroke care at Princess Royal Hospital.

*Two MGHs – Princess Royal Hospital and St Richard's Hospital; Worthing and Crawley as community hospitals, Queen Victoria as
specialist hospital.

*Two MGHs – Princess Royal Hospital and one to the West.

*Four MGHs – Haywards Heath, Crawley, Worthing and Chichester.

*Stay the same.

*Stay the same and possible extension/upgrade of one A&E.

*Princess Royal Hospital remain as acute local hospital with full A&E, intensive care, acute medical services and maternity
departments.

*Consultant-led maternity services at the Princess Royal Hospital.

*A&E and maternity equal at all three hospitals.

*Building and developing on what is available: twintrack, gate keeping approach with district general hospital (DGH), with clear protocols for robust, flexible, triage system. Differentiate and treat major and minor emergencies in parallel on DGH sites (24 hour service). Develop/resource limited number of minor emergency facilities in selected health centres (16 hour responsive/on-call service) supported by network of local GPs and trained staff.

*Improve on existing hospitals. Sell Royal Sussex land and build purpose-built hospital at Falmer.

*New build MGH at Pease Pottage and status quo at Princess Royal, Worthing and St Richards.

*New build at Pease Pottage – central hospital.

*Major acute hospital, as part of BSUH (Brighton and Sussex University Hospital] at Pease Pottage (using state of the art computerised resources at the centre of a transport network); Worthing as a major resource for elderly and disabled patients; St Richard's for specialist medicine such as obstetrics and gynaecology, A&E, dermatology etc. Use PFI (Private Finance Initiative).

– The options are in the words of the proposers.