Holly good show!

Former nurse Lorraine Carey has added her voice to protests about closing the hospital or downgrading it.

Mrs Carey, of Greenways Crescent, said: "Worthing Hospital means a lot to me because, last Boxing Day, I thought my world was ending.

"Our three-week-old baby daughter, Holly, stopped breathing at home and I had to perform mouth-to-mouth while my husband called for an ambulance. Her condition was critical and we were rushed to accident and emergency, where the staff were waiting for us.

"She had deteriorated en route and the ambulance had to get there as fast as possible. Would we have made the trip as quickly to the Royal Sussex Cou-nty Hospital in Brighton? I don't think so.

"Tests were carried out by the staff and she was transferred to the children's ward, but then she took a turn for the worse and stopped breathing again.

"She was deteriorating rapidly and a team of five professionals worked to save her, which they did.

"Holly was then moved to the special baby care unit for specialist one-to-one care. She was on continuous oxygen and her breathing lapsed on many occasions.

"That night was touch and go and was the most awful experience for us. The staff worked tirelessly all night and, at first, Holly was not responding to the oxygen therapy.

"However, the next day, her condition improved and we started to have hope.

"The spirit of the staff and their expertise and skill were only to be admired and I can never thank them enough.

"Holly had a respiratory virus which her small body just couldn't cope with at the time.

"Amazingly, she pulled through and is now a well, beautiful baby soon to celebrate her first birthday. I can't help but think that if Worthing Hospital had not been there, things could have been so different.

"I have given birth to three children in Worthing Hospital and value the maternity care that I received. When I had Holly, the unit was overstretched and understaffed and I really feel that if this hospital closes, things will only get worse. How will the hospitals at Brighton and Chichester cope with the large numbers of women requiring maternity services?

"I can't believe they are considering closing Worthing and Southlands hospitals or downgrading them to save money. We should be fighting to save lives and not risk losing them."