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Dementia care in a home seing Medical hub ‘state-of-the-art’


MAIDSTONE is set to be home to a groundbreaking new facility, caring for people with dementia and men- tal health issues, writes Jane Shotliff. A plan is to be submitted for a


neuro rehabilitation village, offering round-the-clock care in a home- from-home environment for people with Alzheimer’s and other neuro- logical conditions. The village, to be sited alongside


the Kims hospital next to Newn- ham Court, off M20 Junction 7, would cater for single people and couples, allowing patients to be cared for 24/7 in a home environ- ment, improving – and potentially prolonging – their life. The 6.5-hectacre site already has outline planning permission, but a detailed proposal, being drawn up by David Morley Architects of Lon- don, the designer of Kims, is almost ready for submission to Maidstone Council. The village would be one of only


six being planned in the country in conjunction with the NHS and should be ready within two years. If planning permission is granted,


the developer hopes work could start by October, with construction


New site for


university A NEW university, originally planned for Maidstone, is now to be sited in TunbridgeWells. While Kims offers postgradu-


ate training and opportunities, undergraduates need the prox- imity of a district general hospi- tal such as the facility in Pembury it would be adjacent to.


The Maidstone and Tun-


bridge Wells University will offer tuition to medical and re- search students and postgradu- ate clinicians, many of whom will work with the consultants and patients at both sites. The 49-hectare site would also accommodate the Tunbridge Wells Neuro Rehabilitation Vil- lage.


Taking back seat


FRANZ Dickmann (73) may have “retired” as president of Kims – but he is still pressing ahead with his project for the six neuro rehabilitation villages and the proton beam unit at the nearby MMC. Regarding Kims, he said:


“I’m a businessman. My job is to set things rolling – and then step back. Jane Cassidy is an ex- cellent manager and Steven Bernstein is a very capable chairman.”


14 Malling February 2015


THE neuro rehabilitation village would offer state-of-the-art facilities and expertise from the nation’s top doctors who work with brain-damaged patients and those suffering from mind-altering conditions. As well as Maidstone, there are


plans to create similar villages in TunbridgeWells, Oxford, Cambridge, Swansea andWarwick. The centre would offer complex nursing for patients and their


being carried out byVinci, builder of Kims. Fifty per cent of the site would be devoted to one-, two- and three-bed- room apartments, built around a vil- lage square, with bowling greens and tennis courts. The remainder of the land would comprise parkland with countrywalks. The complex would include pri-


vate and shared apartments catering for a range of conditions and levels of care, in a cleverly-concealed hos- pital environment, with oxygen sup-


families, as well as vital support which will help residents live their lives to the full. Cllr Malcolm Greer, who has


been instrumental in pushing ahead with the scheme, said: “This centre will offer support and more understanding for those people with long-term conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, Huntingdon’s, motor neurone, multiple sclerosis, ME and a multitude of associated conditions.


Franz Dickman with his scheme


plies and other essential healthcare facilities. As well as providing homes for


between 120 and 150 people with neurological conditions, the complex would create 440 jobs. Protagonist Franz Dickmann and


his wife, cardiologist Dr Phyllis Holt, who came up with the idea, believe the concept is the way forward in caring for the country’s increasingly ageing population in a more consid- erate and caringway. Mr Dickmann said: “People with


Alzheimer’s and dementia need a tremendous amount of support and tearing couples apart and taking them out of their familiar environ- ment is not theway to do it. “People in their home environ-


ment live longer, are happier – and it’s also cheaper to provide the care.” Mr Dickmann estimates a 24/7


care package for a couple living in the village could cost £4,000 a month – at least half the cost of similar care in the existing – often inappropriate – residential care sector.


Plan for proton beam therapy unit


A £200M proton therapy unit could be built in Maidstone – one of the first in the country. Franz Dickmann hopes to make


the cutting-edge cancer therapy available at the Maidstone Med- ical Campus (MMC), next to Newnham Court within two years.


Raising the start-up funds is not


the main issue, according to Mr Dickmann, but the challenge is to secure the costs of the treatment.


Proton beam therapy costs £35,000 per treatment and is par- ticularly beneficial for treating brain tumours and cranial can- cers, as it doesn’t damage healthy tissue, unlike conventional radia- tion.


Proton therapy is only available


in London and Manchester at present and was at the centre of controversy when the Hampshire parents of five year old Ashya King “abducted” him from hospi-


tal in Southampton and fled to Spain, en route to obtaining treat- ment in the Czech Republic. The Government has earmarked


£250m for the development of two proton therapy centres as ground- breaking research continues to find newways to beat cancer. Proton therapy is not suitable treatment for all cancers and car- ries certain risks, but it increases the chance of success from 20% to 80% in some forms of cancer.


Patient doingwell after first heart op


THE first open heart surgery to be performed in Kent has been carried out at Maidstone’s Kims Hospital. Staff say Steve Astbury (62), from Headcorn, is recoveringwell after his operation by lead cardiologist Dr Phyllis Holt. Previously, heart patients had to travel to London for treatment. Mr Astbury said: “I felt in safe


hands under the excellent care of the cardiologist and her dedicated team. Itwas a real comfort to be offered life-saving surgery without the need to travel far.” The hospital, which has one of the


largest cardiology departments in the UK, has now carried out five cardiac operations. A team of 18 people and support


Somemembers of the surgical team who carried out Mr Astbury’s operation


staff are in attendance for open heart surgery. Kims, which opened in April last year, is working with local commissioning bodies to increase the NHS patients it treats. Facilities at the £120m hospital


include five operating theatres; endoscopy and imaging suites; 72


inpatient beds and 20 day care beds; 17 consultation rooms and six outpatient treatment rooms. The hospital is designed to function at 80%of capacity, allowing support staff ample time to deep clean wards between patients, minimising the risk of infection.


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