The Sussex Surgical Centre at Eastbourne District General Hospital was formally opened on Wednesday 3 June 2026 by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester, marking a significant milestone for planned surgical care across East Sussex and the wider region.
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester cuts the ribbon outside the SSC, marking the formal opening of the Centre
Her Royal Highness was welcomed to the Centre by HM Lord-Lieutenant of East Sussex, Mr Andrew Blackman, before being introduced to Councillor Margaret Bannister, Mayor of Eastbourne, and Josh Babarinde, MP for Eastbourne. The Duchess was then greeted by Steve Phoenix, Chairman, Jayne Black, Chief Executive, Dr James Evans, Clinical Lead and Justine Trueman, Head of Nursing.
The Duchess toured the state-of-the-art facility, meeting clinical, operational and project colleagues whose work has shaped the Centre since its opening last year. The visit followed the same route a patient takes through the Centre, from reception and pre-operative assessment to the operating theatre and second-stage recovery – offering Her Royal Highness a close look at the patient experience and the teams delivering it.
Throughout the visit, Her Royal Highness greeted and spoke to colleagues from nursing, theatres, anaesthetics, operations, estates, facilities and major projects. She also met representatives from the Friends of Eastbourne Hospital, whose support has been instrumental.
In the second-stage recovery area, Her Royal Highness met patients who had undergone procedures earlier in the day, hearing first-hand about their experience of care.
At the conclusion of the tour, Her Royal Highness was escorted to the front of the building for the formal opening ceremony. After a short welcome from Chairman Steve Phoenix, The Duchess cut a ceremonial ribbon to officially open the Sussex Surgical Centre. She was then presented with flowers and a gift by children from local schools, whose artwork is displayed inside the Centre.
Speaking after the event, Steve Phoenix said: “It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to the Sussex Surgical Centre and to showcase the exceptional work of our colleagues. This facility represents a major investment in modern, patient-centred surgical care for our communities, and today’s opening is a proud moment for everyone involved.
“A development of this scale only happens through dedication and collaboration, and I want to extend my sincere thanks to our clinical, operational, estates, facilities and project teams, whose commitment has created something that will benefit patients for decades to come.”
Jayne Black, Chief Executive, continued: “The Sussex Surgical Centre is one of the most significant developments in planned surgical care for our region in many years, and is already making a real difference for patients across all our specialties, by expanding our capacity and reducing waiting times. We were thrilled to welcome The Duchess of Gloucester and show Her Royal Highness the wonderful work of our brilliant teams.”
