News No-showcosts
PATIENTS not turning up for ap- pointments cost theMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust around £4min 2018. Data from NHS England
showed that more than 33,000 pa- tients failed to showat a cost to the tax payer of around £120 each. A spokesman for the British
Medical Association said: “We shouldnot stigmatisepatientswho may not be able to attend for legit- imate reasons. “Given the current unprece-
dented pressure, patients should make every possible effort to re- arrange their appointments so that another person is able to receive treatment in their place.”
Library opens
AUTHOR Nick Carter has cut the ribbon to open Staplehurst School’s newlibrary. The facility is the result of a huge
amount of communitywork. Spare shelving and books were donated by another school while parents andvillagers alsomadedonations. MrCarter, of Southborough, has
written Chestle Crumb and the Animals of BroadwaterWarren.
downsmail.co.uk
Farmers fear for harvest over Brexit uncertainty
FRUIT farmers are becoming in- creasingly worried about their harvest rotting on the trees this year because of continued uncer- tainty over Brexit. Whilst plans are in place to set
upregistration schemes for foreign permanent staffers to carry on in their UK roles beyond departure, the industry is becoming con- cerned howitwill cope in 2019. Foreign workers have been ar-
riving in Kent in their thousands for years, but with freedom of movement to theUKabout to end, growers are unsure how they will be able to recruit this season. A spokeswoman for Bardsley
Farm, of Chart Sutton, which grows apples, pears and apricots, said the business needs about 200 seasonalworkers. Asked about recruiting for this
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year’s harvest, she said: “The truth is thatwe reallydon’t know– there is somuch uncertainty. “You would assume that there
might be some sort of waiver sys- temthis year because theywould- n’twant to let fruit rot on the trees. “Apart fromthepermanent over-
seas staff, we need about 200 sea- sonal workers and pickers across the business.We use an agency to get them in, but we are by no means the only farmaroundhere.” At Chegworth Valley in Water
Lane, Chegworth, the farms needs about
100workers.However, per- manent staff normally bring in up to 50 friends and family members
for the picking season. A spokeswoman added: “We
should be fine this year, but with Brexit, nobody knows. It’s all a bit of a nightmare, if I amhonest.” Canterbury-based AG Recruit-
ment managing director Douglas Amesz, who acts as an agent for farms looking for foreign labour, said: “It is not possible to stop free- domofmovement overnight. “The economic harm would be
catastrophic. If there is no deal, I feel very strongly that theGovern- mentwould have to continuewith the status quo for the rest of 2019. You couldn’t just shut the door. “If there is no deal, there cannot
be an implementation period.We just don’t know and most people are trying to fill that blank.” The National Farmers’ Union
confirmed there is a feeling of un- certainty among members but be- lieves “we will be all right this summer but the future will be a differentmatter”.
Remember Someone Special
A gift in memory can be a unique way to remember the life of someone important to you. Many people choose to honour the memory of a loved one, by raising donations in their name and there are many ways you can do that with Demelza Hospice Care for Children.
12 Maidstone Weald February 2019
For a free in memory information booklet, please contact Lisa Clark on 01795 845275 or email
lisa.clark@
demelza.org.uk
www.demelza.org.uk Registered Charity Number 1039651
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