‘Build £20m stroke unit

Health bosses are set to spend more than £20 million launching a specialist stroke centre in Ashford - but admit it will move to Canterbury should a new city hospital be built.

Plans to open the hyper acute stroke unit (HASU) at the William Harvey - as well as two others in Dartford and Maidstone - were unanimously approved last week by a joint committee of clinical commissioning groups (CCGS).

The controversial proposals will see all stroke services in Kent centralised at the three specialist centres.

But campaigners have accused health bosses of potentially throwing money down the drain by splashing out on the new facilities at Ashford, given the unit could be moved to Canterbury in the coming years.

Ken Rogers, chairman of Concern for Health in East Kent (Chek), says work should be delayed until more is known on plans to reconfigure emergency hospitals and specialist services in the county.

Two options are currently being considered, but the preferred option of decision makers has yet to be revealed.

The first proposal would see all specialist services moved to Ashford, while the Kent and Canterbury would be downgraded to little more than a cottage hospital.

The second would see a new ‘super’ hospital with a major trauma centre in Canterbury serving the whole of east Kent, while A&ES at the William Harvey and Margate’s QEQM would be replaced with urgent care centre.

Mr Rogers says that if health bosses move forward with the new hospital plan, the HASU should be built in Canterbury now.

“We absolutely welcome the HASUS because they’ll offer a much better service than that currently on offer.

“They’re the way forward,” he said.

“But when the options finally come out, should it be decided that we’ll be consulting on a new hospital in Canterbury, then the HASU should be built in the city. It already has the vascular services to support it.

“To build it in Ashford would be a waste of time and money, and for what - three or four years?

“£20 million is a lot of money. Just think what facilities that could fund in a new hospital.

“Canterbury is also the best site for a HASU, given how central it is to east Kent.

“It would be much better for those travelling form Thanet.”

Currently stroke services for Canterbury are provided at the William Harvey, having been moved their “temporarily” in 2017 because of inadequate staffing at the K&C.

The Kent and Medway Stroke Review anticipates that services will return at a specialist centre should a new hospital be built, but says this could be between seven and 10 years away.

Its director, Rachel Jones, said: “It is important that we move ahead as quickly as possible to introduce these life-saving changes,” she said.

“In Ashford, this involves more than £20 million investment to extend Richard Stevens Ward, the stroke unit at William Harvey Hospital, into a 52-bed specialist stroke unit, provide an extra intensive care bed, and two specialist scanners.

“Doing all of this means that the hyper acute stroke unit in east Kent is expected to open in spring 2021: a little later than in the rest of the county, but as soon as we can achieve it.”

Faversham MP Helen Whately has cautiously welcomed the news.

“If you have a stroke and you

‘£20 million is a lot of money. Just think what facilities that could fund in a new hospital’

live in Kent, your chances of recovering are currently worse than in other areas. That’s not acceptable,” she said.

“Now that the NHS has decided where the new stroke units will be we’re a step closer to getting better care.

“I know people are worried about the choice of William Harvey Hospital, and what it means for the future of the Kent & Canterbury.

“That’s why I have previously sought reassurance on this and been told very clearly that if a new major acute hospital is built in Canterbury, the stroke services would move there from Ashford.

“I have written again to the NHS following the latest announcement asking for confirmation of this, and assurance that if £20 million is spent on a unit in William Harvey, that facility can either be moved or repurposed to make sure public money isn’t wasted.”

Canterbury MP Rosie Duffield, however, says the decision should be referred back next month.

“Having met with the Stroke Association, I understand that their preferred model is centralised specialist care, which improves overall outcomes,” she said.

“However this is obviously disappointing news for those living in the Canterbury and Thanet areas, as their travel times will be potentially dangerous and possibly even outside of the vital ‘golden hour’ for stroke treatment.

“We urgently need greater investment in east Kent’s beleaguered healthcare and hospital services. I would urge Kent County Council to refer this decision back for further scrutiny when the opportunity arises in early March.”