A new hospital for East Kent, in Canterbury...

STATEMENT ON OPTION TWO GROUP

The Option Two Group has decided, with great regret, to pause its operations for the time being. This means that nothing new will be posted on our website or our Facebook page. However, we will continue to monitor the Hospital Trust's activities, changes to the Kent and Medway Integrated Health Board_s plans that directly affect East Kent and the Government's intentions.

As visitors to our website and Facebook page will know, we set up our Group four years ago with the aim of providing accurate information to the public about local hospital services and, of course, to promote what we think is best for everyone in our area - the building of a new specialist hospital in Canterbury to serve the needs of everyone in East Kent.

Over the past four years we have been preparing for the promised public consultation on choice of location for this new hospital. In 2018 we were told that the plans for this new hospital were at an advanced stage and that either Ashford or Canterbury would be its location, depending on the outcome of the public consultation. These plans were submitted to NHS England. After lengthy discussion the plans were presented to the Government and we were told that there would be money for eight new hospitals in England and that East Kent was on the list of competitors for this money.

Then came the financial crisis this autumn. We began to wonder whether the Government would be able to afford 8 new hospitals. Finally, at an online meting we had with Rosie Duffield MP, and Liz Shutler, deputy CEO of East Kent Hospitals, we were told in no uncertain terms that there was no way the Government would be providing the funding for new hospitals in the foreseeable future.

Therefore, we have decided to stand down our activities for the time being.

However, as we said in our letter to the then Secretary of State for Health in 2021, it is clear that specialist hospital services in East Kent are not fit for purpose. At present specialist services are spread over three smaller hospitals, this does not work and evidence of that are the successive failures, culminating in that of maternity services. So we urge everyone to write to those who have influence to demand the concentration of all specialist services in one, new, state-of-the-art hospital for East Kent. This is what we who formed the Option Two Group will be doing. If, as we hope, the Government listens, and agrees to fund the new hospital we all need, then we will take up our activities again. In that case, we will alert you by a post on Facebook (if you receive such alerts) and a letter in the local press.

Thank you for your support.