Hospital League's £117,000 gifts

Of this total, nearly 85,000 worth will be installed in Bexhill Hospital with the remainder in departments at the Conquest Hospital at Hastings which are heavily used by patients from Bexhill.

East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust director of operations Jim Davey attended last Thursday's meeting of the league committee to explain a catalogue of requests forwarded to the league with the approval of the Trust's charitable bids committee.

The biggest single item agreed by the charity was 54,497 to refurbish the outpatients' department at Bexhill Hospital.

The league funded a previous refurbishment but the committee was told that after more than a decade of heavy use, the department's waiting areas and clinical rooms are now in need of redecoration.

New vinyl flooring is needed to replace ageing carpet which in the era of hospital superbugs is no longer considered hygienic.

The scheme will include new tables and new vinyl-covered seating.

Questioned by the committee, Mr Davey said costings for all such bids were the product of competitive tendering between approved contractors.

The league will also fund the conversion of a store room into a dedicated cleaning room. The 5,000 project will house specialised gear used to clean cytoscopy and anti-coagulant clinic equipment.

Mr Davey said that at present the cleaning operation had to be carried out in a treatment room and this carried a hygiene risk which transfer to a separate area would overcome.

The league will give 16,050 to fund the purchase of two laryngoscopes and associated equipment for the Bexhill outpatients' department.

The scopes will enable rapid and effective diagnoses for ear, nose and throat patients.

The Bexhill league will share with the Conquest league the 20,880 cost of two flexible endoscope laryngoscopes for the Conquest theatres.

After some debate, the meeting agreed to give 18,473 to buy a Phoenix Plus Model 230V device requested by consultant urologist Mr Roger Plail for use with urology, neurology and continence services at the Conquest.

The meeting was told that the Conquest league's slender reserves mean it is unable to fund the equipment, which will be extensively used in the treatment of patients from Bexhill.

The Bexhill league will fund 50% of the 6,925 cost of a Verathon's Bladder Scan device for care of the elderly at the Conquest, leaving the funding of the remainder for the Conquest league to consider at its next meeting.

But the meeting rejected a request for 2,372 to buy 45 dedicated lockable aluminium-framed noticeboards for the Conquest and 1,700 for a mobile blood pressure and cardiac monitor for the Conquest surgical department.

The meeting voted 350 for the league's social committee to buy gifts for Irvine Unit patients this Christmas and will foot the bill for a Christmas lunch for hospital volunteers.