£300m cutback in services to continue

The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) findings are independent of the Trust’s own shake-up plans, set to save £300m across all sites.

The Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) was announced in November and could lead to one ‘super site’ and several downgraded hospitals.

Kent and Canterbury, the William Harvey in Ashford and the QEQM in Margate are all under observation.

Matthew Kershaw, EKHUFT chief executive, said regardless of the special measures outcome, the trust will push forward with its STP.

He said: “I want to make sure that we are using all of our sites to the best of our abilities and giving people a suitable service in East Kent.

“The STP will carry on irrespective of the outcome of special measures. We have to make these changes.”

Three new specific roles have been defined for the hospitals as part of a bid to save £292 million across Kent and Medway – but it has not been revealed what will happen where.

It would mean one hospital site provided all the specialist treatments as well an A&E and planned care and maternity, while the second site offered just an A&E and planned care and maternity and the third site focused on inpatient elective surgery, including orthopaedics, and rehabilitation, with a GP-led urgent care centre.

All the minor injuries units would also be retained.

When asked whether the William Harvey Hospital could become East Kent’s ‘super hospital’, Mr Kershaw would only say: “I appreciate people speculate but we have to be quite right and proper about this, no decisions have been made yet.”

The consultation on how to make the radical changes is set to start in June and last 12 weeks.

Chief executive Matthew Kershaw could not confirm whether or not the William Harvey could become East Kent’s ‘super hospital’