University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust

28/08/2026

When a child is admitted to hospital unexpectedly, parents often arrive with little time to prepare for an overnight stay themselves.

That's why we've partnered with Stericycle (who provide our waste management services) and Sophie's Legacy to provide parent care packs filled with everyday essentials, helping families feel supported during what can be an incredibly difficult time.

Each pack contains useful items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo & conditioner, shower gel, a hairbrush, ear plugs and a phone charger. Separate packs for men and women help ensure every parent feels considered and cared for while staying alongside their child.

Together, volunteers from both UHSussex and Stericycle, assembled 500 packs, which are now being distributed across our children's wards.

Thank you to everyone involved in making a difference for our families when they need it most. 💙

26/08/2026

Ready? We give you...the STAR Awards 2026 finalists! 🌟

After hundreds of heartfelt nominations, we're proud to reveal this year's finalists. These incredible colleagues and teams have gone over and above delivering excellent care, supporting colleagues, and making a huge difference every day in our communities.

A huge congratulations to everyone! 👏 We will find out who has won at the awards ceremony on Friday 11 September 2026.

Explore the full shortlist on our website. Recognise a colleague? Help us celebrate their achievements by dropping a comment below.💙

25/08/2026

Our colorectal team are transforming care for patients living with Crohn’s disease thanks to a new surgery technique available in the NHS for the first time in the South East! 🎉

UHSussex is now offering Video Assisted A**l Fistula Treatment (VAAFT), an innovative minimally invasive procedure that can reduce pain, speed up recovery and improve quality of life for patients with the complex disease.

Previously, patients had to travel to specialist centres in London for this treatment. Now, they can access this cutting-edge care closer to home at UHSussex.

This new procedure was made possible through a generous donation from a patient’s family, matched by our dedicated charity My University Hospitals Sussex, helping more patients benefit from advanced treatment locally.

Polly Smith, from Burgess Hill, saw first-hand the impact complex fistulas can have after her son developed the condition as a result of Crohn’s disease.

Polly explains that her experience with her son’s clinical team inspired her to explore ways to help the future of this care.

She said: “The care and explanations that Mr Tonsi [Colorectal Surgeon] gave made my son feel really included in the planning of his care. I was the person who asked if there was any equipment that would help in this procedure, there was but it wasn’t available at the Trust. Essentially making this donation plus the charitable fund money meant that patients at UHSussex can all benefit from this for the same price as one procedure if I had paid for that privately.

“It feels quite amazing and the first patient the equipment was used on was a child and honestly knowing how tough it was for an adult to manage this condition, I’ve no idea how that child and their parents managed. So having it used on them for the first time, getting them back to a normal childhood faster, made it super special.”

Thank you, Polly, for this incredibly generous donation, and to our charity for their ongoing support in helping us improve patient care and experience. And thank you to our colorectal surgery team for their dedication to bringing this innovative treatment to Sussex, ensuring patients can access specialist care closer to home and benefit from improved outcomes and experience. 💙

21/08/2026

The countdown is on to find out who the 2026 STAR Award finalists are…!⏳🤩

Full details will be announced next Wednesday.

Until then, here’s a very quick peek at some of the incredible colleagues and teams nominated, did you spot someone you know? ⭐️

20/08/2026

Understanding our patients' experiences of care is important to us. It helps us improve our services to best suit their needs.

If you were treated for cancer during April, May, June 2026, you may be invited to take part in the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey later in the year. Please take part to help shape NHS services for future patients 🤝

If you are invited, you will get a letter with more information later this year.

For more information on the survey, please visit www.ncpes.co.uk

13/08/2026

⚠ Alongside our emergency services partners we are currently responding to a major incident.

13/08/2026

A huge thank you to Anne, Steph, and colleagues in our Blood Sciences team for giving Teddy such a special behind-the-scenes tour of one of our labs. 🧪🔬

Seven-year-old Teddy was keen to learn what happens to his blood samples after they're taken. During his visit, he followed their journey through the lab, looked at his own blood film under the microscope, and even tested the team's knowledge with his impressive understanding of blood cells! 💙

Thank you Harvey's Lab Tours for everything you do to support young patients and families during difficult times.

You're always welcome in our hospitals. ❤️

Teddy kept the Blood Sciences team on their toes during his Harvey’s Lab Tour at Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

Seven year old Teddy followed the journey of his samples through the lab, saw his own blood film under the microscope and learnt more about blood and platelets.

He also impressed the team with his knowledge, spotting a cell that wasn’t included on his morphology chart. They might need the advanced version ready next time!

🔗 Read Teddy’s story: https://bit.ly/4zyinBl

04/08/2026

Two UHSussex colleagues set to represent England on the international stage. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

We are hugely proud of colleagues, Iz and Taylor, who are sporting their country’s colours in their respective sports.

Iz, a member of our security team, has just been selected for the England Rowing Team. Despite having no mobility from the waist down, her dedication, perseverance, and commitment to her sport are unmatched.

Even more remarkably, Iz only officially began rowing 11 weeks ago (crazy!). In that short time, she has demonstrated exceptional strength, resilience and drive, earning her place on the national senior women’s team.

Meanwhile, Taylor (far right), one of our physiotherapists, has been selected to represent England Deaf Rugby at the 2026 Deaf Rugby 7s World Cup in Tokyo.

Taylor was born with Grade 3 Microtia (a rare birth defect where a baby's outer ear is underdeveloped or missing) and underwent reconstructive surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital as a young child. Over the years, rugby became Taylor's passion and gave him confidence, resilience and a community.

England Deaf Rugby Union is a registered charity dedicated to giving players with hearing loss the chance to represent their country at the highest level. As England Deaf Rugby is a charity, every player attending the World Cup has to self-fund their trip. If you would like to support Taylor’s journey, you can donate to his fundraising page (link in the comments). Every donation is greatly appreciated.

These are both remarkable achievements that should be hugely celebrated. 👏

We wish Iz and Taylor every success as they embark on this exciting journey! 💙

03/08/2026

A huge thank you to all our incredible teams who attended Brighton Pride over the weekend. 💙🌈

From representing us in the parade and waving to the crowds, to sharing health advice with more than 500 people, our colleagues brought energy, enthusiasm and plenty of Pride spirit to Brighton.

Pride is an important opportunity to celebrate with the communities we proudly serve, and we're really grateful to be part of such a fantastic event.

To everyone who waved, cheered, danced along with us or spoke with our teams at Pride in the Park, thank you for sharing such an incredible weekend with us. ✨

And to the colleagues who kept our hospitals and services running throughout a busy weekend, helping to make Pride safe and enjoyable for all, we're incredibly grateful to you too.

31/07/2026