People in Canterbury, Faversham and surrounding villages rely on Kent and Canterbury Hospital.
I want to see acute care continue to be provided at the hospital. The journey times to the other local hospitals are simply too long, especially by public transport. People say “all roads lead to Canterbury” for a good reason.
What we really need is a new acute hospital in Canterbury, along with a medical school, to make Kent a centre of excellence in healthcare.
Ever since I was elected in 2015 I have been urging local healthcare leaders to come up with a vision like this and offering to fight for funding.
Everyone recognises things have to change, so now is the moment to seize the initiative and be ambitious.
Working together with Canterbury MP Sir Julian Brazier, I want to make sure we get the best possible healthcare for people in this area.
We have raised serious concerns about the future of acute care at the hospital, following the announcement that Junior Doctors are going to be transferred to William Harvey in Ashford and QEQM in Margate.
We have written to Kent & Canterbury CEO pressing him to make sure the forthcoming consultation over the future of healthcare in Kent proposes an acute hospital at Canterbury.
We are also making the case that Kent needs a medical school to attract more doctors, nurses and other health professionals to the county.
We wrote: “We believe that the forthcoming consultation should propose an acute hospital at Canterbury. This should be included in at least one of the options, otherwise you will not be giving residents a genuine choice.
Secondly, Kent would benefit enormously from a medical school to attract the brightest and best doctors, nurses and other health professionals here. While you advised that a medical school could be successful irrespective of hospital locations, having a major acute hospital close to the main medical school site – which is proposed to be in Canterbury – would strengthen the bid. This should be an important factor in the evaluation of options.”
Click here to read the full text of our letter.
