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. Dad Mark 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 at Maidstone 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 theweek the year before”. Despite trust assurances that Pembury is coping, there have been patient and public complaints


Centre’s oncology award


THE KentOncology Centre atMaidstone Hospital received a quality environment award from Macmillan 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 Med- way. She said: “Kent Oncology Centre’s informa- tion 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


SPECIAL accommodation for teenage parents in Maid- stone should be ready by next March. Six self-contained units and communal facilities will be pro- vided on part of the former council depot site at Armstrong Road, in partnership with Gold- ing Homes. Cllr John Wilson, cabinetmember for community services, agreed the council should contribute £63,000 of the £577,000 cost of converting


22 Town


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. A spokesman for MASH said: “There seems confusion among ambulance crews following transfer of someMaidstone serv- ices to Pembury. We know seri- ous trauma cases now go to Pembury, but we were told that apart from those few cases, Maidstone A&E would continue to be fully operational. “But it is looking more like a broken promise by the trust with a major extension beyond seri- ous trauma cases ordered 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:


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.”


Teenage mums to get special units


a small apartment block. The aim is to give single mothers access to education and training, health and parenting skills to aid independent living. An officer’s report for Cllr


Wilson said: “Young mothers can often feel judged and stig- matised by society. They may also have not experienced good parents themselves and had negative experiences in the ed- ucation system.” KCC’s Supporting People


Team contracts organisations, including social landlords such as Golding Homes, to provide the right accommodation. The intention is to teach teenage parents the necessary life skills to enable them to move from temporary into more permanent accommodation. Individual care packages, re- settlement service, training kitchen, counselling room and play area are among the scheme’s features.


“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 the move 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 8 patients a day).


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