OPPOSITION to the Health Sec- retary’s decision to downgrade Maidstone’s maternity services is set to reach a climax at a big public rally in the summer. Dennis Fowle, chairman of campaign group MASH, de- scribed the minister’s confirma- tion that maternity and children’s services will be trans- ferred to Pembury Hospital in September as “perverse”. Mr Fowle said: “Maidstone


has a history for rebellions and I think we need another one now. Depriving our local hospital of so many core services is obvi- ously wrong for the people of Maidstone – and I think we’re all up for a fight.” And Sutton Valence GP Paul Hobday, local spokesman for the BMA, said the decision was illogical as it totally ignored overwhelming GP and patient opposition. He wants Andrew Lansley to


explain how his move is consis- tent with his White Paper put- ting GPs in charge of commissioning. Dr Hobday added: “The local


community is very angry and will continue to fight. We will


Town set to rally in maternity move protest What the trust’s decision means for Maidstone


THE hospital trust says consultant-led maternity and children’s services will be transferred from Maidstone Hospital to the new Pembury Hospital with a closure date in September for maternity and children’s wards. A new midwife-led birthing unit (4/5 beds) will


be built in Maidstone Hospital grounds to open around that same time.


be shaming those responsible for the decision when the first deaths occur.” Meanwhile, MASH (Maid-


stone Action for Services in Hospital) has asked Kent County Council’s health scrutiny committee to get coun- sel’s opinion for a judicial re- view of Mr Lansley’s decision and to call for a delay in imple- mentation until GPs are given their commissioning power. MASH’s executive meeting


also decided to: urge the BMA to survey


every Maidstone GP for reaction to Mr Lansley’sdecision – and which hospitals they will rec- ommend under patient choice; monitor, with KCC’s help,


how the local NHS reacts to Mr Lansley’s concerns about con-


BOTH KCC and Maidstone Council have turned on the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, for his decision to back a move of ma- ternity and children’s services from Maidstone Hospital to Pembury. KCC health scrutiny committee passed a four-


A day-care unit for children will be set up to run


8am-8pmMondays to Fridays. Any inpatient chil- dren still in the unit at the end of the day will be transferred to Pembury. In addition to these two services emergency


and orthopaedic surgery will be transferred from Maidstone to Pembury. Already transferred are: gynaecology, chronic pain unit, much ENT.


sultant paediatric cover at Maidstone Hospital – MASH wants 24/7 on-site cover at a 24/7 unit; and consider, at its February 28 meeting, plans to stage a public protest rally in the early sum- mer. Mr Fowle said: “These changes are all about the busi- ness plan for the new hospital at Pembury. The loss of maternity and children’s ward, emergency and orthopaedic surgery, our chronic pain unit, gynaecology and much ENT are all highly damaging to Maidstone.We are under no obligation to support what is going on in any way. Our responsibility is to do all can to keep quality services in Maidstone.” Helen Grant, MP for Maid-


Now two councils turn on Health Secretary KCC agreed to monitor the impact of his deci-


sion on the number of admissions to consultant- led maternity units at Medway and Ashford. With shortages of midwives and temporary clo-


part motion with only Maidstone LibDem coun- cillor Dan Daley voting against. It expresses “profound disappointment” with a decision which overrides a near-unanimous view of the committee and Maidstone area GPs. It also backs the view of Maidstone MP Helen


Grant and campaign group MASH that his deci- sion should not be implemented before he em- powers GPs to commission clinical services and “determine the future scope of maternity provi- sion in the county town”.


Surgery delay for


smokers and obese SMOKERS and overweight pa- tients inWest Kent could be re- moved from hospital waiting lists as the Primary Care Trust tries to cut costs. Smokers referred for non-ur-


gent operations such as cataract surgery or hip replacements will have to give up smoking or complete a 12-week course. The seriously overweight


with a body mass index of more than 30 will have to complete a 13-week NHS diet programme. Delays in getting on a course


could mean patients waiting longer than 30 weeks. The trust says no one with a compelling clinical need for surgery this year would miss out.


Care home plan THE Regard Partnership has ap- plied to convert a home into a residential centre providing specialist care for children at 76 Bower Mount Road, Maidstone.


22 Town


sures of birthing units in East Kent, KCC wants an urgent review of all birthing units and consultant- led maternity services across Kent. The motion was proposed by Maidstone county councillors Jenny Whittle and Gary Cooke and supported by members “bewildered” by the deci- sion due to “appalling links to Pembury”. Another letter to Mr Lansley goes from Maid-


stone Council’s cabinet member for community services JohnWilson who expresses “disappoint- ment and concern” and writes of “the negative impact on our borough residents”. He asks Mr Lansley to reconsider his decision.


A SHEPWAY father whose best friend has im- paired hearing is running the London Marathon to help deaf people. Mark Clayton, 39, is hoping to raise a total of £1,700 for the Royal National In- stitute for the Deaf. The former Cornwallis Sec- ondary School pupil was in- spired to run his first-ever full marathon by friend Grant Cher- rill, 37, whose hearing loss is getting worse. Mark has known Grant for


more than 30 years and was best man at his marriage to Kellie Higgins at Maidstone Register Office on New Year’s Day. He said: “It was only earlier


this year that I learned just how far it had gone when he admit- ted that he could hardly hear me and had been lip-reading our conversations for quite some time.


stone and TheWeald, a leading campaigner against the changes, said: “I am appalled by what is a truly puzzling and irrational decision. It is not ac- ceptable and I cannot support it.


“He (Mr Lansley) has com- pletely ignored his own funda- mental criterion for local GP support in hospital reconfigu- ration decisions.” But Glenn Douglas, chief ex- ecutive of Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells NHS Trust, said: “These important changes make the very best of the skills and expertise in our clinical teams for patients and maintain highest and safest standards of care for women and children throughoutWest Kent.” But MASH has accused Mr Lansley of breaking his own four new rules - that hospital reconfigurations should have GP support; clinical safety; pa- tient choice; and follow gen- uine engagement with the community. Mr Fowle said: “In MASH’s


11 carefully-compiled papers to him, we showed how the local NHS failed badly on all four – the most glaring being GP sup- port after five separate surveys revealed they are massively op- posed. “The minister came to Maid-


stone and heard GPs’ vehement objections first hand. Then went away and ignored them totally.”


Mark’s marathon effort is inspired by best friend “I was shocked and I felt I should have done so


Mark Clayton (right) and his best friend Grant Cherrill


much more to help instead of him struggling on his own.” Last year Mark completed the Maidstone half marathon in just over three hours watched by wife Sarah, son Harry, aged four, and Grant and Kellie. He works as a data programme administrator for the Kent Air Ambulance and wanted to run for the life-saving charity but was unable to secure a place. He has been embarking on training runs around the helicop- ter base at Marden and col- leagues Veronica Wiseman and Caroline Cooper are doing a sponsored slim to help him with his fundraising.


Anyone who wants to sponsor Mark can visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MarkClayton.


Phone case theft ends in court appearance DANIEL Coad (19), of Tonbridge Road, Maidstone, stole a £7.99 purple mobile phone case from Mad 4 Mobiles in Maidstone. He also admitted using threatening behaviour in December last year. Coad was given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £93 in costs and compensation by the town’s magistrates.


New hospital cafe? A PLAN has been submitted to build a café intended to service the existing Trevor Gibbens in- patient unit at Maidstone Hos- pital.


Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40