Fears of K&C

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Kent and Canterbury Hospital could be drastically downscaled as part of cost-saving plans to transform healthcare across east Kent.

Health trust bosses have released an “emerging model” for the area, which would see all specialist services moving to a single “super hospital”.

Observers fear Ashford’s William Harvey hospital is likely the most suitable site, which would mean the K&C losing key facilities like its renal, vascular and urology departments.

But the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust insists no decisions have yet been made on which site will take on which role within the plan, which forms part of a wider shake-up to save £292 million across Kent.

Trust chief execut ive Matthew Kershaw said: “It would be wrong to speculate as there is a lot of work to do.

“We are being open and honest and can’t say which hospital it will be. They are only emerging ideas which have not yet been worked out to that level of detail.

“Everything is possible, but we will have a preferred choice when we go out to consultation.”

In the emerging model, the super hospital will house an A&E department, major trauma unit and maternity provision – all three of which are already offered in Ashford.

The second – speculated to be Margate’s QEQM – would still offer A&E and maternity departments, like those currently provided on that site.

The third will be reduced to a non-emergency site, offering planned care , inpatient and elective surgery, rehabilitation and a Gp-led urgent care centre.

Mr Kershaw pledged that several options for the new roles for the hospitals in Canterbury, Margate and Ashford will go out to

The Kent and Canterbury Hospital could be downscaled as part of a shake-up of health services in east Kent