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 husband Mark (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!”


Emergency patients taken to ‘overstretched’ hospitals Continued from page one


is claimed that ambulance crews say they are under clinical instructions from the trust to takeminor in- jury cases to Pembury as well as children who should be taken to the new child day clinic at Maidstone. Staff atMaidstone talk of a ‘much quieter hospi-


tal’ since Pembury opened in late September. A trust spokesman said there were “eight fewer pa- tients a day being seen at Maidstone A&E than over the same days of the week the year before”. Despite trust assurances that Pembury is coping,


there have been patient and public complaints about long delays, inadequate attention, lack of sur- gical beds and confusion finding ways around. An elderly Alzheimer patient was allegedly left in pain on a trolley for six hours with a broken leg.


A Maidstone woman said she waited hours for a booked wrist operation – but was sent home be- cause a bed could not be found for her. Patients were reportedly being left on trolleys overnight due to a bed shortage. It is thought this has been caused by the trust taking a financial decision to reserve a surgicalward of 30 beds for private patients only. These issues are being addressed by Maidstone branch of the BMA, Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital (MASH) plus MP Helen Grant. Aspokesman forMASH said: “There seems con-


fusion among ambulance crews following transfer of some Maidstone services to Pembury. We know serious trauma cases now go to Pembury, but we were told that apart from those few cases, Maid- stone A&E would continue to be fully operational. “But it is looking more like a broken promise by


Centre’s award for oncology care


THE Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital received a quality environment award from Macmillan Cancer Care. The centre is one of the first 50 locations in the country to re-


ceive the award after the schemewas launched 18 months ago. It was presented to the centre’s Eniko Benfield (pictured far


right) by Kristina Parkinson, the charity’s development man- ager for Kent and Medway. She said: “Kent Oncology Centre’s information area scored particularly well on its calm, relaxed atmosphere; welcoming, helpful staff and volunteers and the well laid out information area. “Eniko provides appropriate emotional support, helping to reduce fear and anxiety. Eniko and the team can also signpost people to help with the other social care issues that can often come with a cancer diagnosis; like how to continue or finish work during treatment and how to cope with the hidden costs of cancer like increased fuel bills and travel costs.”


DOING away with gel dispensers at the en- trances to Maidstone Hospital has angered a woman whose mother died during the C.difficile outbreak there five years ago. “When I read about it in the Downs Mail


it made me see red again,” said Jackie Stew- art, of Plantation Lane, Bearsted. Mary Hirst (83), who lived nearby at Cross


Keys, was one of the first to fall victim to the deadly bug in May 2006. Eventually, it led to 90 deaths across the NHS trust area. Introducing more gel dispensers was one of the actions that followed.


24 East


“I thought straight away, as a person who fought for all this more than five years ago, are they just slipping back?” Mrs Stewart said: “If you see a dispenser


when you walk through the doors of the hospital the chances are you are going to use it. I know a lot won’t, but 90% will. “But by the time you have wandered to


the ward, had a cup of tea, been to the loo, howmany peoplewill use it? You could to- tally forget. And howmany things have you touched by then?” Dr Sara Mumford, director of infection


the trust with a major extension beyond serious trauma cases or- dered to Pembury or Medway. This causes very deep concern for Maidstone, and looks a way of trying to run down both Maid- stone A&E and the new day cen- tre for children. This would be totally unacceptable to the 250,000 population of Maid- stone area – and the trust is very aware of that.” The trust spokesman added:


“We are working closely with the ambulance service to ensure every patient who can go to Maidstone, does go to Maid- stone. “The media can also help by letting the public know that while major trauma patients are taken by ambulance to our new centre of expertise, Maidstone A&Eis very much open and con- tinues to see over a thousand pa- tients a week.” He said that during the week


(26th September) directly fol- lowing themove of trauma serv- ices to Pembury, MaidstoneA&E saw 1,170 patients, compared to 1,229 over the same week the previous year (a difference of 59 patients or eight patients a day).


Bug boss defends removal of gel dispensers from hospital entrances


prevention and control, said: “I am sorry Mrs Stewart is unhappy about the gel dis- pensers being removed from the entrances. “Our decision was based on the World Health Organisation advice that the best way to protect patients is to emphasise the importance of hand hygiene at the patient’s bedside, and that the gel dispensers at the entrances could even be a distraction from that.


“All our ward staff are trained to remind visitors never to touch patients without cleaning their hands first.”


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


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