MP Charlie Elphicke is campaigning for the former Dover hospital to be transformed into a “health and social care village”.

He said this is a key part of his vision for the town and would like to see a facility that freed up beds, provided health and social care, as well as facilities for people with dementia.

The old Buckland Hospital in Coombe Valley Road has been empty since it closed its doors and the new facility opened last year.

Mr Elphicke said: “We need to have a really great facility in Dover near to the hospital where people can be looked after and be cared for.”

He said he has been speaking to the hospital trust as well as doctors with the CCG, including GP Darren Cocker.

Having social services, primary care and hospital care coming together would bring many positive benefits, including much-needed beds, he said.

Mr Elphicke added: “Everyone’s very enthusiastic about it at the planning stage. Everyone is very keen on it as it will make life easier by providing beds.

“It will help the hospital free up beds after people have had operations and provide the level of care for people to get better and have a great, long life.”

The MP said he hoped the former hospital would provide sheltered accommodation for people suffering from dementia or long-term conditions.

The East Kent Strategy Board which was established in September 2015 has been working on plans for health care services in east Kent.

A spokesman for the East Kent Hospital Trust said: “There is a pressing need to tackle service pressures at the same time as developing a future model of care for the people of east Kent that meets changing needs.

“The board will oversee the development of a model of care that works in a joined up way across primary, community, mental health and acute services, and with social care partners for the longer term.

“In the shorter term, individual organisations will continue, as now, to ensure they are delivering safe services day to day and will make any necessary immediate changes to fulfil this duty as required and in accordance with due process.”

It states planning is in the early stages and a consultation is expected this year.

The hospital trust would not confirm if one of the options included the old Dover hospital.

The spokesman added: “The board has not yet considered or tested any options for change and no decisions about how services might be organised in the future have been made.”

Any final decision would be made by the clinical commissioning groups, NHS England and Kent County Council.