Services for patients needing urgent cancer treatment will now be run from three dedicated centres in Kent and Medway during the Covid-19 outbreak.

It's part of the NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group's (CCG) plan to keep patients needing to access cancer care away from those being treated for coronavirus.

The three treatments centres will be run from The Kent & Canterbury hospital in Canterbury, The KIMS hospital in Maidstone, and The Spire hospital in Walderlade.

A fourth site will be located at The Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead.

Wilf Williams from NHS Kent and Medway CCG said: "The NHS across the county is committed to continuing to treat urgent cancer patients in line with national requirements.

"We are making changes to local services to allow that to happen and to provide urgent cancer treatment away from where Covid-19 patients are being cared for, including working with some private hospitals to run NHS services from their sites.

"Patients are also still able to access Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy services where deemed to be urgent by the cancer clinical teams.

"Radiotherapy services are still available at Maidstone Hospital and Kent & Canterbury Hospital. Chemotherapy Services are routinely still available at most of our hospital trusts.

"During this time of extreme pressure on the NHS, some services do have to change to ensure patients with life-threatening symptoms of Covid-19 receive the priority care and treatment needed.

"Unfortunately this means some less urgent cancer services will be deferred. Patients will remain supported throughout and our clinicians will continue to be honest and open with patients to keep them informed."

GPs surgeries are also being changed to stop the spread coronavirus.

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