A leading campaigner for better health services in east Kent says he is increasingly confident a new super hospital will be built in Canterbury.

Ken Rogers, who chairs the group Concern for Health in East Kent, known as Chek, says everything he has seen and heard from “people in the know” points to a long-awaited decision to allocate the funding being made early in 2021.

“Covid has delayed the consultation and we do need to go through due process but we know the business case, with the offer of the building of the hospital shell by developer Mark Quinn, is now going to the NHS," he said.

“It’s nearly three years since that offer was put to the then-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt but we are getting closer.”

Two options are on the table - one to have specialist services and a major trauma unit in Ashford, and the other to centralise east Kent hospital care with a sole A&E centre in Canterbury.

Mr Rogers says he expects there will be opposition from Thanet and Ashford to the second option.

“But from what I’m hearing from most doctors and GPs, they believe it’s the only way forward and we just now need the public’s support,” he said.

“I certainly haven’t heard anybody being negative about a new hospital in Canterbury, only positive, so I am increasingly confident.”

He says many lessons have been learned and processes changed during the Covid-19 crisis.

“The NHS will never be quite the same but the intention of removing 200 beds in east Kent in a proposal of 2016 has long gone, and the need to have more beds is now realised,” he said.

“All three of the main hospitals will play a major part in providing healthcare in east Kent in the future and patients need to get behind the proposals so we can move on quickly.”

Mr Rogers says he now expects the public consultation on the plans to take place in February or March next year.

“The only thing now is that we have to get on the list for funding which is why I regularly write to the Prime Minister.

“And I think you’ll probably find that land is allocated for the new hospital in Canterbury in the Local Plan when it is published later this year.”

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