Crawley MP Peter Lamb has formally asked health bosses to bring back 24-hour services at Crawley Hospital in West Sussex to ensure residents can get medical help at any time of night.
On 13 March 2026, the MP sent a request to NHS Sussex to restore the full-time hours that were previously available to the public. Health Minister Karin Smyth has agreed to meet with the MP to hear about the local impact of the reduced service hours.
The hospital’s urgent treatment centre moved from a 24-hour service to a limited schedule of 7:30 am to 10:00 pm in May 2024. Although this was first introduced as a temporary measure to manage staffing, the health service later decided to make the shorter hours permanent.
Mr Lamb believes the current setup does not provide enough support for the community and breaks a commitment made when the hospital’s original emergency department was closed. While the local health board says the shorter hours are safer for staff and reflect lower patient numbers overnight, the campaign to restore the service is now being raised at a national level.
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