Published: 27 February 2026
From: Health
Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of the council, has written to Mr Giles York, Chair of The Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust, to express his deep concern and disappointment at the now permanent reduction in operating hours at Crawley Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). What was initially presented as a temporary change due to staffing pressures has now become a long-term downgrade to urgent care in Crawley, which Councillor Jones says is an unacceptable outcome for a town of our size, diversity, and clinical need.
I am writing to express my deep concern and disappointment at the now‑permanent reduction in operating hours at Crawley Hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). What was initially presented as a temporary change due to staffing pressures has now become a long‑term downgrade to urgent care in Crawley, an unacceptable outcome for a town of our size, diversity, and clinical need. This permanent change was announced without engagement or consultation.
This decision comes after years of erosion in Crawley’s urgent and emergency care provision. The closure of our A&E, followed by the reduction in hours to the 24‑hour UTC that replaced it, has left Crawley residents with fewer and fewer options for urgent care locally.
Crawley is the largest and most diverse town in West Sussex, with communities experiencing some of the highest levels of deprivation in the region. Residents already face long waiting times at the UTC even under previous 24‑hour arrangements; now, by concentrating demand into a shorter operating window, the pressures on the service and on patients will only intensify as out of hours access is reduced.
Furthermore, Sussex NHS acknowledges that Crawley residents face persistent barriers in accessing health services particularly general practice and identifies improved access to same‑day urgent primary care as a priority. According to Healthwatch West Sussex, a substantial number of patients attend the UTC specifically because they are unable to secure a GP appointment or are unable to get one within a reasonable timeframe. Many residents report struggles getting through to their surgery, long waits for appointments, or prior experience that leads them to attend the UTC directly.
Crawley’s political and community leaders have repeatedly raised that residents, particularly those in more deprived areas face long waits for GP and dentistry access. This pressure on primary care funnels even more patients into the UTC, making its role as a front‑line access point for same‑day care absolutely critical. This makes the UTC indispensable for addressing inequalities and ensuring that residents receive timely treatment without being forced into crisis situations.
Given this context, presenting the permanent UTC reduction as benign is a real concern. Crawley residents rely on the UTC not only for urgent injuries and illnesses but because access to GPs remains vastly overstretched and the UTC has become the de facto route for timely clinical support.
For these reasons, I request an urgent meeting with you to discuss the future of urgent treatment services in Crawley. I also extend a personal invitation for you to join me on a journey using only public transport from Crawley town centre to East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, our nearest A&E. Experiencing this journey firsthand, especially outside of peak hours, will highlight the realities facing residents who no longer have local access to emergency care.
I look forward to your response and hope you will work with us to restore and improve urgent and primary care provision for the people of Crawley.
Councillor Michael Jones
Leader
Crawley Borough Council
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