Case for change

Doctors and health and social care leaders from the NHS in Kent and Medway, Kent County Council and Medway Council have published a compelling ‘case for change’ which sets out why services need to change to meet the needs of local people.

Dr Peter Maskell, consultant geriatrician and one of the co-chairs of the Kent and Medway Clinical Board leading the process, said:

"As our population grows, and people live longer, the demands on our services are changing and increasing. We can’t carry on having an average of 1,000 people in a hospital bed each day who could be more appropriately cared for elsewhere if the right services were available to look after them.

"In my experience, people would rather be at home, or closer to home, with the right care in place, as soon as they are well enough. What’s more, those 1,000 beds aren’t available for their intended purpose, leading to cancelled operations and long waits for admissions via accident and emergency departments.

"I, and colleagues from health and social care services, believe the answer is to grow services to meet the needs of this group of patients in our local communities, closer to where people live.”

You can download a PDF copy of the 'case for change' document here, and visit the www.kentandmedway.nhs.uk website to sign up for a regular newsletter about the future plans for health and social care in Kent and Medway and to find out how and where you can get involved.