Round-up of medical matters around the County Town Maternity department’s last delivery


ALLINGTON resident Natasha Davies (33) was the final person to give birth at Maid- stone Hospital’s maternity department. Her son arrived at 7.56am on September


22,weighing 8lb 5oz. He was safely deliv- ered by midwife Jackie Riggs and student


midwife Hayley Docherty. The baby boy is the fourth child of Natasha and husbandMark (37), who live in London Road. They already have Kate (7), Abigail (3)


and Scott (2). All of the children have been born at Maidstone. The couplewere presented with a teddy bear by nursery nurse Margaret King, the


branch secretary of Unison. The maternity department has since


been transferred to Pembury, near Tun- bridgeWells. Natasha said: “Everything was straight- forward and the staff were very helpful. I’m sad to see this unit go but am looking forward to seeing the new one at Tun- bridgeWells Hospital later on.”


…but a new dawn for its birthing centre


THE new purpose-built midwifery-led birth centre at Maidstone Hospital welcomed its first new baby into the world. Beth Thompson (31) of Hartley Close, Senacre,


gave birth to 8lb 15oz Caleb Thompson, who became the first born in the new facilities, which include two birthing rooms, four postnatal rooms, double beds to allow partners to stay and a kitchen/diner. DadMark Thompson (32) said: “Caleb is our


third son, joining brothers Ben (4) and Joel (2). That’s two-thirds of the way to a five-a-side foot- ball team!”


GEL dispensers are to be removed from all entrances at Maidstone Hospital. Dr Sara Mumford, director of infection prevention and control at Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trust, said the decision was made after research suggested that good bed- side hand hygiene (or point of care) is the best way of preventing infection. She added: “The gel dispensers at the en- trances to our hospitals have been used well by staff, patients and visitors alike.However, we have found that they can distract people from using the gel at the bedside. So we are


costs hundreds of thousands of pounds and is not now afford- able. Mr Walters, of Charing and formerly of the village of Leeds, provides the voluntary service and knows how vital it is to pa- tients coming to Maidstone from areas such as Thanet, Can- terbury, Ashford, Romney Marsh, Dartford, Tunbridge Wells as well as from within theMaidstone area. “Most of the patients are eld-


erly andmany infirm,” he said. “The service is vital to them, especially when they are feel-


Hospital dispenses with gel on entry


going to remove the gel from the entrances to our hospitals and focus hand hygiene where itwill domost good and that is in the clinical areas and at the patient’s bedside. “For several years we have ensured that


there is hand cleaning gel at the foot of every bed and that there are gels and wash hand basins easily available in clinical areas so that they are as close as possible to the patient.”


ing weak after treatments. What is going to happen?” Downs Mail understands


There are over 300 gel dispensers atMaid-


stone Hospital. Staff, patients and visitors will find the gels in the following areas: Attached to the bottom of each bed At the entrance to all wards and depart- ments, including clinics, arrival lounge, dis- charge lounge, X-ray and therapies Outside food outlets and shops Where people wait – eg by a lift Work is ongoing to improve the number of


hand wash basins and there will be an in- crease in the number of signs and messages about the importance of hand hygiene.


Volunteer car service no longer affordable Continued from page one


many are cancer patients at- tending Kent Oncology Centre and separate financial arrange- ments may preserve some of the service for them. Patients are being informed and advised of alternatives, ranging from fi- nancial support if on benefits and of other voluntary driving organisations. Atrust spokesman said: “The voluntary car service is largely unfunded and taking hundreds of thousands of pounds a year away from direct patient care to


Centre’s oncology award


THE Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hos- pital received a quality environment award fromMacmillan Cancer Care. The centre is one of the first 50 locations in


the country to receive the award after the scheme was launched 18 months ago. It was presented to the centre’s Eniko Benfield (pictured far right) by Kristina Parkinson, the charity’s development manager for Kent and Medway. She said: “Kent Oncology Centre’s in- formation area scored particularly well on its calm, relaxed atmosphere; welcoming, helpful staff and volunteers and the well laid out infor- mation area. “Eniko provides appropriate emotional sup-


port, helping to reduce fear and anxiety. Eniko and the team can also signpost people to help


16 Malling


help runitisnolongeranop- tion.


“Patients will be advised


about other voluntary car schemes. Importantly, anyone who is medically unwell will still be taken from home to hos- pital and back again by our hos- pital ambulance service, which is being expanded. “Patients in receipt of bene-


fits can also seek financial as- sistance to help cover their travel cost. The trust would continue to provide a reduced voluntary car service with any funds it receives for this pur- pose.”


Chronic unit makes a return


THE Chronic Pain Unit has re- turned to Maidstone Hospital. It was controversially removed


from the hospital without public consultation during the years Rose Gibb was chief executive causing deep concern for patients having to make a journey of up to 20miles for treatment at Pembury. Many trav- elled together in volunteer driver cars,meaning each-way journeys of 90 minutes or more, often in cramped conditions. MASH (Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital) led the cam- paign to restore the service – and Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust board agreed it would come back (from September 26) as women’s and children’s services were transferred from Maidstone to Pembury in September. That promise is now being met


with the other social care issues that can often come with a cancer diagnosis; like how to con- tinue or finish work during treatment and how to cope with the hidden costs of cancer like in- creased fuel bills and travel costs.”


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and the unit is being located ini- tially in the vacated maternity unit. Out-patient services will also be offered at the new hospital at Pem- bury and at Sevenoaks. All day- case operating theatre sessions will be at Maidstone. Dennis Fowle, chairman of MASH, said: “This is excellent news.We are losingmuch – but this is a significant, much-needed gain.”


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