News Store’s closure


TROUBLED clothes retailer New Look’s Maidstone branch is likely to close as part of a voluntary arrangement to prevent the firm going bust. A company voluntary arrange-


ment (CVA) will reduce the rent at some of its 593 stores nationwide but the unit at Fremlin Walk may beat the chop. The shop is likely to carry on trading for six to 12months.


Road is closed


TTHE road will be closed at Pye Corner, Ulcombe, for five days for awatermain connection. The work is due to start outside


Kent Liveries on Bank Holiday Monday,May 28. Trafficwill be di- verted along Headcorn Road, The Street, Ulcombe Hill, Lenham Road, Park Road, Headcorn Road, Eastwood Road and vice versa.


WImeeting


THE next meeting of Madginford WI is on Thursday, May 10, at Madginford Hall, Bearsted, start- ing at 8pm. The WI meets on the second Thursday of every month and for more information call 01622 737500.


downsmail.co.uk


KIMS nowrated good thanks to ‘hardwork’


HEALTHservices atKent Institute ofMedicine and Surgery Hospital in Maidstone have improved, ac- cording to a government inspector. The privately-run KIMS has been


givenanoverall rating of “good”,up from“requires improvement”. The latest inspection by the Care


QualityCommission (CQC)demon- strates clear improvement, with good practice scores in relation to medical care, surgery, outpatients and diagnostic imaging. The


hospital’s


CEO, Simon James (left), said the rating was a vindication of the work put in by staff and manage- ment to turn its for- tunes round.


“Outstanding practice in medical


care” was reported of its cardiac catheterisation laboratory andfor its volunteer “KIMS angels”,who chat with patients to allay their fears. Thedirect link that staff havewith the hospital board to communicate


their ideas also earned praise. Areas suggestedfor improvement


included clearer guidance for con- sultant surgeons on the hospital’s patient acceptance criteria. It follows anunannouncedvisit in


2015,when inspectors founda num- ber of areas at the 99-bed hospital that requiredimprovement, some of which relatedto theunderutilisation of the hospital against initial projec- tions. Mr James said: “I am delighted


with the findings of the CQC in- spection, but we are not resting on


our laurels. This is a clear vindica- tion of the hard work everyone at the hospital has put in; all our staff, and the consultants and doctors should rightly be proud ofwhatwe have achievedworking together. “All of us at KIMS Hospital re-


main passionate about delivering safe, outstanding, quality care, and the next step must be to work to- wards an outstanding rating across the hospital.” The independent hospital opened


in 2014 on the Kent Medical Cam- pus, near junction seven of theM20.


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24 Maidstone East May 2018


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