Apology for 999 blunder


THE mother-to-be whose emer- gency ambulance transfer to Pembury Hospital was delayed by staff mistakes and confusion has received profuse apologies from the ambulance service. Claire Whittall, of Highridge


Close, Grove Green, said the ambulance took 55 minutes to get from its base in Dover to the Maidstone Hospital birthing unit, where she was in labour, and the driver did not know his way around either Maidstone or Pembury hospital sites. Sue Harris, director of strat-


egy, planning and partnerships, said in a letter the service was


Claire and Phil Whittall at home with baby Madison


“wholly unacceptable”. She admitted errors by both


the emergency call operator and the person responsible for dis- patching ambulances, including


SCARLETT Newman (13), of Kings Hill, who suffers from asthma,has performedthe opening ceremony of the Riverbank Children’s Unit inMaidstone. Scarlett, a regular patient at Maidstone and Tun-


bridgeWells hospitals,was joined for the ceremony by BBC South East TV presenter Polly Evans. the pair are pictured cutting the ribbon. Theunitprovidesanoutpatient clinic,day surgery


and short-stay assessment, so children aged up to 15 can be treated close to their homes. There is a paediatricoutpatient department, six-bed day-case surgical unit and seven-bed assessment unit, as well as a play area. If an overnight stay is necessary, children are


transferred to Pembury Hospital. Clinical director of paediatrics, Dr Charles Unter,


said: “Our relaxed child-friendly environment has been very positivelywelcomed by all visitors.”


Maggie retiring after 40 years


MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will be wish- ing a fond farewell to nurse Maggie Barnden when she re- tires on Friday, June 8, after more than 40 years with the NHS.


Maggie began her nursing ca-


reer in 1968, at The Tunbridge Wells School of Nursing. At the time, Maggie lived rent-free in nursing accommo- dation, but her first monthly pay packet was just £10! Maggie said: “Nursing in the


60s was very different to nurs- ing now. Itwas regimented and everyone was very clear on their own role and what was, or was- n’t, expected of them. The sis- ters were pretty fierce. As student nurses, we had a lot of respect for our seniors.” Maggie was on duty as a stu-


dent nurse on the day the first intensive care ward opened at the Kent and Sussex Hospital and fondly remembers what a special occasion it. Her first staff post was in


1971 on the men’s orthopaedic ward, at the Pembury Hospital. Maggie was very happy in her post. She said there was a good atmosphere on the ward and generally, spirits were high. In the late 70s,Maggie took up


her first sister post in casualty (now A&E). During the 80s, she transferred to the newly-built


Endoscopy after the birth of her youngest daughter in 1988. Maggie said: “My experience in A&E was invaluable - if you can handle that, you can handle anything. I was accustomed to the responsibility and level of accountability required but I had to play down my ignorance of endoscopy!” With a new grandchild due in August, Maggie is sure she will be kept busy during her retire- ment, and plans to spend time with friends, finish many jobs she has started at home, and possibly next year, spend some time touring the America. She said: “I have been fortu-


nate enough to thoroughly enjoy my career and have worked not only with amazing colleagues, but also wonderful friends.


“Nursing has changed con-


A&E department at the Kent and Sussex Hospital. She re- members that both hospitals had very different atmospheres, with Pembury having a relaxed feel to it, whilst the K&S Hospi- tal was much more rigid. Mag- gie thoroughly enjoyed her time at both hospitals and has fond memories of them. Acute ad- missions was Maggie’s next move, followed by a role within


siderably since the 60s, but thankfully the humour has re- mained unchanged. “I will miss nursing dread-


fully, but I amexcited about the next chapter of my life and hope that those who are just joining the profession get as much out of it as I have. “My advice to new students would be to stay focused on your goals and ambitions and don’t forget the essential quality of kindness, not only to patients but also to your colleagues.”


“incorrectly categorising a pa- tient with a non-life threatening condition”. She said with a cor- rect diagnosis, the response should have taken less than eight minutes instead of 44 min- utes. She also admitted the Dover ambulance crew had never been to Maidstone or Pembury hos- pitals and were unfamiliar with the layout of both hospitals. As a result, vehicles will now


have maps of the two hospital sites.


Claire and baby Madison re- covered from the ordeal and both are now well.


Scarlett is guest of honour at opening of unit


Nurses ‘had


poor English’ THE NHS trust is investigating complaintsmade by an 81-year- old Grove Green Royal Navy veteran after his admission to the Maidstone accident unit and John DayWard. He said he could not under-


stand some of the foreign nurses, and said “their command of English was limited”. He said one referred to him in deroga- tory terms and he doubted her ability “as she spent ages looking at prescriptions”. He could not get staff names because he did not see badges. The patient said he was shocked to find that bathing and toilet facilities were mixed sex, and were filthy, with en- crusted dirt beneath toilet rims. He blames his outbreak of di- arrhoea on these conditions. After falling over, he said he


spent 20minutes calling before he was assisted. The blind was down and there was no cord He feels so many patients in


John Day Ward suffer from de- mentia they are not in a posi- tion to make complaints. The trust said it was investi-


gating – but indicated all staff employed had to be able to communicatewith patients and colleagues; cleanliness was monitored “to ensure highest standards”; and it was cur- rently improving and refurbish- ing some areas.


Surgeon claims


discrimination SURGEON Geoffrey Trotter, who performed thousands of operations at Maidstone Hos- pital, is to take the hospital’s managers to a tribunal claim- ing he has been the victim of age discrimination. Maidstone and Tunbridge


Wells NHS Trust would not confirm Mr Trotter’s age. The tribunal had been scheduled to take place last month, but it has now been postponed to July. Mr Trotter, from Orpington, who quali- fied in 1975, was a bowel sur- gery specialist at the hospital in Hermitage Lane. He claimed discrimination on the grounds of age leading to un- fair dismissal. He currently works as a general and specialist col- orectal surgeon at BMI Somerfield Hospital in the town, but still lists his NHS position as being at Maid- stone Hospital. Last year he received a warning from the General Medical Council after a com- plaint about patient care. It was revealed that this was just one of five complaints made against him and his team between 2008 and 2011. Mr Trotter received a Pride


of Maidstone award in 2002 for outstanding care.


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