News No-showcosts
PATIENTS not turning up for ap- pointments cost theMaidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust around£4min 2018. Data fromNHS England showed
thatmore than33,000patients failed to showat a cost to the tax payer of around£120 each. Aspokesmanfor theBritishMed-
icalAssociationsaid:“Weshouldnot stigmatise patientswhomay not be able to attendfor legitimate reasons. “Giventhecurrentunprecedented
pressure, patients should make every possible effort to rearrange their appointments so that another personisabletoreceivetreatment in theirplace.”
Plants seized
A MAN was arrested after police seized five cannabis plants at a pri- vate address inMaidstone. Officerswere conducting an early
morningdoor knock at theproperty on January 15 where a micro cannabis cultivationwas located.A spokesmanforKentPolicesaid:“Of- ficers seizedfivecannabisplantsand a quantity of cannabis buds, and the man was subsequently released pending further enquiries.”
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
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 spokes- woman added: “We shouldbe 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”.
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Maidstone March 2019
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