Weekday-only child care to stay
THE trust running Maidstone Hospital is showing no signs of opening the proposed day-care assessment unit for children outside the hours of 8am-8pm Mondays to Fridays, when in- patient children’s services move to Pembury this autumn. GPs expressed deep concern
about the paediatric proposals to the Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley. The trust is meeting Mr Lans-
ley’s requirement that consult- ant paediatric opinion must be available to Maidstone A&E staff when the day unit is shut – but this will be on call, not permanently based in the hos- pital. The public/patient organisa-
tion Kent Link is joining Maid- stone campaign groupMASHin pressing for a 24/7 Maidstone unit with a full-time paediatri- cian.
Hospital set to get more car parking
MAIDSTONE Hospital is work- ing with planning officials from the borough council to increase the overall number of parking spaces available on the hospital grounds. The exact number of addi-
tional parking spaces the hospi- tal is allowed to create will be determined by the council’s planning department in due course. The additional spaces are needed to ensure the hospital and its expanding range of serv- ices can cope with increasing patient, visitor and staff de- mands. Derek Shaw, the trust’s direc-
tor of estates and facilities, said: “Maidstone Hospital has grown substantially in the last few
Protocols for birth unit will be enforced
STRICT protocols will be en- forced for running the new maternity-led birthing unit due to open in September as the consultant-led maternity unit moves to Pembury, says the NHS trust. This assurance was given
to MASH chairman Dennis Fowle by the trust board after he referred to £6.4m damages awarded in the High Court to parents of a child severely damaged by shortcomings in a birthing unit. The trust said the unit would be available only to totally low-risk women (and age was a factor) and staffed by higher-qualified senior midwives.
years following multi-million pound developments and ad- vances in local NHS care. “It is a hub for complex can-
cer care for patients throughout Kent and East Sussex and will soon become a centre of expert- ise for complex surgery for half a million people inWest Kent. “It has outgrown its original
car parking needs and we are working closely with planning officials at Maidstone council to create more spaces as soon as possible.” The hospital currently has
1,337 car parking spaces for vis- itors, patients and staff. The trust’s initial planning as- sumptions have requested per- mission for between 140 to 300 extra parking bays.
Hospital briefs
CHIEF executive of the hospital trust, Glenn Douglas, has con- firmed to his board that Maidstone will get its chronic pain unit back later this year when women’s and children’s services transfer to Pem- bury. This means patients in severe pain will not have to travel to Pem- bury.
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THE CHIEF executive paid tribute to staff for coping with the in- creased emergencyworkload in the snow/flu period – and in moving in to the new hospital at Pembury, which opened recently.
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CHAIRMAN Tony Jones said there were difficult financial times ahead for the trust – “but we will not lower patient safety”.
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COMPLAINTS and contacts with patient liaison have risen – partly due to increased hospital activity.
Almshouses have vacancies
THERE are vacancies at the Cut- bush and Corrall-managed almshouses in Harrietsham. Renovation work on the
dozen Grade II listed alms- houses in East Street is due to be completed, and potential res- idents are needed to fill some ground floor one-bedroom properties, which are fully in- sulated and have new kitchens and bathrooms. Aweekly maintenance contri-
bution of £104 is payable. To be considered for an almshouse, you must be over 60 years old, currently live in the Harriet- sham area and be in need of so- cial housing. Info: 01622 765612.
Royal wedding picnic BEARSTED Woodland Trust is planning a children’s picnic to celebrate the royal wedding on April 29.
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