News Witness appeal


POLICE are appealling for wit- nesses to an attack at a Maidstone nightclub on Sunday, September 23. Two men have now been ar-


rested after officers were called to Dusk 2 Dawn in King Street in the early hours of Sunday to two men outside the clubwith stab injuries. Both victims were taken to a


London hospital for treatment. The incident is believed to have


happened at about 4am. A 29-year-old, from Gravesend,


and a 28-year-old man, from Swanley, remain in custody after being arrested on suspicion of as- sault. Officers would like to hear fromanywitnesses or anyonewith information that could assist their enquiries Call 01622 604100, quoting refer-


ence 23-0271, or Kent Crimestop- pers anonymously on 0800 555 111.


Pit your wits


AQUIZ night has been organised by Hollingbourne Panto Group in Hollingbourne village hall. The fun event is on Saturday,


December 1 at 7.30pm, and indi- viduals or teams of eight are in- vited to take part – and those who come in fancy dress could win a prize. To book a table or an individual


ticket (£10 each) contact Natasha on 07802 408549. The next panto production, Ra-


punzel,will run fromFebruary 13- 19. Auditions will be held on October 24 (8pm), October 28 (7.30pm), and at 6.30pm for chil- dren on November 11.


Kenward cars


THE Kenward Trust celebrated its 50th anniversary with a classic car rally. The trust, the leading drug and


alcohol rehabilitation centre based in Yalding, welcomed 70 cars in- cluding a Ferguson Ted 20 and a Rover P6.; There were also two Ford Mustangs. The oldest car in attendance was a 1930s Austin 7, with the rarest being an immacu- late Skoda Rapid. As well as the cars on the lawns


lawns, the event featured products made by Kenward residents.


Ringers’ tour


HEADCORN’s bell ringers en- joyed an outing to RomneyMarsh over the summer. Ringers and their friends visited


a number of country churches, in- cluding a small wooden chapel at Fairfield, the six-bell church at Newchurch and eventually on to the final tower at Lydd.


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downsmail.co.uk


Hospital proposed as a specialist stroke centre


MAIDSTONE Hospital has been named as one of three in Kent ear- marked to become specialised stroke centres. The other two are Darent Valley in Dartford and the


Hospital


William Harvey Hospital in Ash- ford. The announcement comes after


lengthy research and public consul- tation. The three acute units will replace


existing care at six hospitals in this £40m project. The quality of this care has not always hit required standards, theNHS admitted. Speedofhighest-qualitytreatment


led by teams of consultants and spe- cialists using the latest equipment is seen as vital for patients. The three selected locations


should see 98%of patients admitted and treatment started within an hour. Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone


andtheWeald, said: “I amdelighted that such an outstanding servicewill be on the doorstep of many of my


constituents. I look forward to con- tinuing to work with the trust as they develop the newunit.” PatriciaDavies, the senior respon-


sible officer for the Kent and Med- way Stroke Review, said: “It is important to stress there are still sev- eral hurdles to clear before a final decision is made about urgent stroke care in Kent andMedway. “I would like to thank the hard-


working staff at all our stroke units for their ongoing loyalty and dedi- cation. I appreciate this is a time of uncertainty, but I believe there is an exciting future for everyone work- ing in stroke services across Kent andMedway.” Glenn Douglas, accountable offi-


cer for the eight Kent andMedway Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “The clinical committee was satisfied that the consultation did not identify any newevidence or vi- able options that required a change to the consultation proposals. “However, the responses to con-


sultation emphasised important is- sues for consideration during the implementation of the final option. “For example, people were con-


cerned about travel times, relatives andcarers visiting loved ones, effec- tive rehabilitation close to home and the ability to staff the newunits. “These and other issueswill all be


considered in the detailed imple- mentation plans for the final option. Somework to address these issues is already underway. “For example, we are looking at


how we canmake sure effective re- habilitation services can be deliv- ered locally and close to home for people, once the immediate period of their care in hospital in a special- ist unit is complete.”


Pharmacy ‘must do beer’


PATIENTS have criticised a phar- macy in Maidstone for delays in dispensing and poor customer service. A simple post on Downs Mail’s


Facebook page complaining about slow service at LloydsPharmacy, Grove Green, triggered the sur- prise response frommore than 100 frustrated users across south Maidstone and beyond. They cited stressed staff, poor


management, excessive queues, prescription delays and poor col- laborationwithGPs – even though the Grove Green pharmacy is just one door away fromthe surgery. Emily Fisher said prescriptions


were not ready days, or even weeks after they should be, post- ing: “I try calling the pharmacy be- forehand to check – no answer. “Queues towards the door every


time I visit ...”, while Carole Browning added: “I gave up using Grove Green last year. Appalling service, long waits and then you find your script hasn’t been done.” In Allington, Kirsty Hancock


posted: “My repeat prescription is never ready, even if it is several weeks after its due date. “I’m told it’s staff shortages but


Maidstone Weald October 2018 Borough CllrMalcolmMcKay no longer uses LloydsPharmacy at Grove Green


this has been going on for months.” Charlotte Johnson, who worked


at the pharmacy in Grove Green, blamed poor pay and too fewstaff. She said: “When Iworked as a dis- penser I was paid less than a Mc- Donald’s worker. “Budget cuts meant the store


was always under-staffed. The staff work extremely hard and oftenmiss lunch. “It is head office who need to


wake up and implement better working conditions to ensure a better experience for customers.” Borough Cllr Malcolm McKay has stopped using the Grove


Green pharmacy. He said: “Themanagement need


to diagnose the cause of the prob- lems and find a long-termcure.” LloydsPharmacy apologised,


adding that the manager at Grove Green was on holiday. However, when told the prob-


lem was not limited to Grove Green, and there was concern about the future of the area’s phar- macies, the spokesman said: “A number of LloydsPharmacy stores were identified for sale or closure last year, but that programme has now been completed.” Call the customer service num- ber on 0345 600 3565 - option 2.


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