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NHS service shake-up date finally announced
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A controversial shake-up of emergency healthcare in west Kent will go ahead next May, hospital bosses have announced.
 
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust officially agreed to centralise A&E surgery and orthopaedic services in one ‘centre of expertise’ at its board meeting on Wednesday.
 
Patients needing emergency general and orthopaedic surgery will be cared for at Kent and Sussex Hospital in Tunbridge Wells.
 
The trust’s proposals faced widespread objections from residents and GPs in Maidstone when they were first presented two years ago.
 
But a review by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel last year agreed with the trust that the changes would improve the quality and safety of patient care.
 
Consultant general surgeon Philip Bentley, the trust’s consultant director for surgery, told the board this week: “From a surgical point of view the overwhelming reason for change is to improve the quality of service for patients.
 
“Trusts around us are concentrating acute emergency services in surgery and trauma and orthopaedics on one site to improve the patient experience and the quality of care they receive.
 
“Similarly, if we concentrate planned services we can again provide a better quality of service for our patients. If we don’t reconfigure we will fall even further behind neighbouring trusts who have already reconfigured these services to the benefit of their patients.”
 
Maidstone Hospital will be the trust’s ‘centre of expertise’ for planned operations or elective surgery.
 
Glenn Douglas, the trust’s chief executive, added: “Centralising services will not see the demise of any of our hospitals, but it will provide our patients with better access to a greater level of expertise and experience.
 
“Maidstone’s A&E department will continue to be consultant-led and will continue to see the vast majority of patients it sees now.”

POSTED: 28/08/2008 12:43:18

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