Article For Folkestone Herald and Kentish Express

20 January 2005

Shepway Primary Care Trust has been holding public consultation meetings on the future of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Folkestone. As readers will be aware the Trust is proposing to close the two remaining inpatient wards at the hospital and believes that the kind of rehabilitation care which is presently provided at the hospital can best be provided at home.

I went to the public meeting which took place at St Mary’s Bay on Friday where the Trust explained their plans and were asked a number of searching questions. Most people accept that if a patient can be helped at home and looked after properly it will, in many cases, be better for them than if they stay in hospital.

But, as the Trust itself accepts, there are always likely to be some patients whose rehabilitation can best take place in hospital or who need to be in hospital for other reasons, such as assessment.

The key question is what will happen to them? One of the options put forward by the Trust is that they might go to Buckland Hospital in Dover. This is not popular and my impression is that the Trust will not go for this option.

The preferred option of the Trust is to use the beds at Broadmeadow. But the future of Broadmeadow itself is uncertain. If the Folkestone Academy goes ahead, Broadmeadow will have to be relocated.

I have asked the Trust to look at the position in East Kent as a whole and that is now being done.

For many years local people have benefited from the dedicated care of the staff at the Royal Victoria. If this is now to come to an end it is essential that proper arrangements are in place to make sure that those who need this kind of care continue to get it.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Shepway District Council for their immediate response to my suggestion that we might link with a local community in Sri Lanka to assist in post-Tsunami reconstruction. It may take a little time to put this in place but I am continuing to explore the ways in which it can happen. I shall keep you fully informed of the progress we make.