Kentish Express Ashford & District
Concern as health plans putonhold
Consultation on reshuffle of services on hold
A public consultation on a major reshuffle of east Kent’s three hospitals has been “kicked into the long grass once again”.
Health chiefs are exploring two options - including downgrading the William Harvey in Ashford.
The plans have been on the table since 2017 but progress has been painfully slow, with the snap General Election of that year stalling the initial stages of the project.
And now health authorities say a consultation on the two options has been put on hold because of the Covid pandemic.
Had it gone ahead, the public would have been given a say on what is likely to be a controversial shake-up.
The first option would see all specialist services in east Kent move to the William Harvey, with Ashford retaining its A&E and maternity services and the Kent and Canterbury downgraded largely to a hub for elective surgery and rehabilitation.
The second would see a new state-of-the-art hospital built in Canterbury, hosting all specialist services and a major A&E department for 800,000 people across the region - a move that would see Ashford’s A&E close.
Developer Mark Quinn has offered to build the shell of the new hospital in return for planning permission for 2,000 homes on surrounding land, with the NHS covering the costs of equipping the facility.
Each of the two options would require about £400 million of government funding which has yet to be secured.
A spokesman for the East Kent Transformation Programme said: “We are, quite rightly, focused on our response to the pandemic and the vaccination programme at this time.
“However, we are continuing to work with colleagues at NHS England and NHS Improvement on finalising the pre-consultation business case and securing a commitment of capital funding. It would not seem wise or appropriate to launch a public consultation when the Covid-19 pandemic continues to be the key priority for the NHS and when our local communities are unlikely to be able to engage in a meaningful way.”
The spokesman said the pandemic, local elections and feedback from county councillors would influence when the consultation starts.
While accepting fighting Covid should be the priority, health campaigner Alex Lister says the consultation’s postponement is still a “matter of considerable disappointment”.
The dad-of-two, who is a public governor at the East Kent Hospitals Trust, fears the consultation will not start until early next year.
“The process has been repeatedly kicked into the long grass, which has put our local healthcare into an unenviable predicament,” he said.
“The dithering and delay is causing a lot of harm because no one knows how to plan. We don’t know if or when the money is coming in, or where services may be relocated to. The trust struggles to recruit or retain staff as it has a bad reputation, but 30 or 40 years ago training at the K&C was one of the most sought-after places to train at, and that could happen again.
“We just need a decision to be made. The trust is strapped for cash and can’t invest in the estate which means they can’t attract the best staff, meaning more has to be spent on getting agency staff.
“We’re one of the biggest health trusts in the country, and Thanet is one of the most deprived areas. There are loads of challenges but there is a lack of direction from the government.”
When the future of east Kent’s healthcare does go out to public consultation, the decision on which of the two options is brought forward will fall on the shoulders of the chairmen at east Kent’s four clinical commissioning groups.
But even when a decision is made there will still be a long wait before it is implemented.