Petition calls to keep Canterbury stroke unit as plans confirmed for Ashford facility
Over 6,000 signatures to stop stroke services moving from Kent & Canterbury Hospital
Health campaigners in East Kent are calling for hospital bosses to rethink plans to relocate stroke services from Kent & Canterbury Hospital to Ashford’s William Harvey Hospital.
The proposals include building a new 54-bed Hyper Acute Stroke Unit at the front of the Ashford site, which would cater to 54 stroke patients and create 200 NHS jobs.
However, moving the existing services from Canterbury has sparked concerns over patient safety in time-critical emergencies, particularly for those in Thanet.
The petition to prevent the closure of the highly-rated Canterbury stroke unit has already gathered over 6,500 signatures.
Campaign group Concerns for Health in East Kent (CHEK) strongly opposes the move, describing the rationale behind it as based on outdated business cases from 2019 that fail to reflect current realities.
That includes rules that a stroke unit must be accompanied by an A&E department, something the Kent & Canterbury Hospital does not have.
Ken Rogers, chairman of CHEK, says "you cannot use that as a reason anymore given the stroke unit has been operating for six years without an A&E and has been voted the best stroke unit in the country.
The Kent & Canterbury stroke unit was rated the best in the country according to the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP).
“It’s right for the stroke centre at the K&C to celebrate being top, and I offer my congratulations for what they have achieved through an enormous amount of hard work,” Mr Rogers said.
“However, the intended move to Ashford no longer holds water. The evidence has changed completely. Thanet residents risk facing delays of over an hour to reach Ashford, vastly increasing the risk for the population most likely to suffer a stroke."
"Quite simply, the Ashford option significantly increases health risks across East Kent.”
CHEK is urging the Kent Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee to re-evaluate the plans, and to pause all implementation and planning activities until a thorough reassessment is completed.
The East Kent Hospital NHS Trust has said in a statement: "The stroke unit was temporarily relocated to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital during Covid and the ICB has undertaken a review of the East Kent scheme."
The proposed stroke unit in Ashford would be built as a two-storey facility in the accessibility car park at the front entrance, including a CT scan room and providing specialised care for stroke patients.
Mr Rogers added his plea for investment in modernising Kent & Canterbury Hospital, including funding an A&E department, rather than transferring essential services away: “Canterbury is a major city and needs an upgraded hospital, not less support.”
Planning permission for the new stroke unit at William Harvey has been submitted, with authorities expected to make a decision by 18th March 2026.
The Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, which commissioned the project, has been approached for comment.