Hundreds of people are this morning expected to attend a public meeting called by campaigners who fear for the future of healthcare in east Kent.

They claim people are being "kept in the dark" over radical transformation plans, which could result in the downgrading of Kent and Canterbury Hospital and significant changes at Ashford's William Harvey and the QEQM in Margate.

The meeting, at 10am at the Westgate Hall, has been called by Campaign for Health in East Kent (CHEK), which says the public will have the chance to quiz health bosses.

As part of the proposals, the K&C could lose all its specialist services to either Ashford or Thanet, with an additional threat to its acute services as the trust looks to cut 300 beds across Kent.

The future of its urgent care centre also remains in doubt following speculation the east Kent hospitals trust is set to close it temporarily amid a staffing crisis.

It would mean heart attack and stroke patients being diverted to the QEQM Hospital in Margate or Ashford’s William Harvey.

Trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw last week denied staff had been told the centre was shutting this spring, contrary to what employees have told KentOnline.

CHEK had previously fought for the future of the K&C and stopped it being downgraded at the turn of the century, but could not save its A&E department.

It has now been revived following the release of the trust’s new sustainability and transformation plan (STP), which will likely see specialist services relocated to just one of the trust’s three main hospitals – speculated to be the William Harvey.

Critics say the move will essentially downgrade the K&C, which has no maternity unit or A&E services, to little more than a cottage hospital.

CHEK chairman Ken Rogers said: “The public are being kept in the dark, which has prompted us to organise this meeting.

“We believe plans to cut 300 acute beds could result in the closure of Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

“The local clinical commissioning group has been asked to explain the plans and receive feedback from the general public prior to publishing consultation documents.”

CHEK is urging the public to get involved in the debate over the future of the hospital.

In an open letter it says: “CHEK was very active campaigning for the acute hospitals in east Kent between 1997 and 2002.

“Our main purpose was to restrict the downgrading of the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

“We were very successful in keeping Kent and Canterbury as a specialist diagnostic, acute teaching hospital.

“During those years there were many reports of patients in corridors for days, due to lack of beds.

“Indeed, CHEK was involved in secret filming over fears of the safety of patients, and for the pressure put on staff.

“We are lucky to have such brilliant staff in all our acute hospitals. There are so many stories of excellent life-saving care received by the people of east Kent.”

Mr Rogers added that the CHEK committee would not advocate the continuation of any service if it was deemed unsafe.

“We are questioning why we have got to the position we are in, why the trust has a lack of consultants and nurses and why there is a possibility that services could become unsafe,” he said.

Among those at this morning's meeting will be the trust’s medical director, Paul Stevens, its director of strategic development and capital planning, Liz Shutler, and its director of communications, Natalie Yost.