Maternity service rated 'good' by CQC

The Maternity service at Tunbridge Wells Hospital has been rated ‘good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Following their latest inspection in October 2024, the CQC found “significant improvements” had been made since its previous inspection in August 2023, which enabled the service to be upgraded by two CQC rating levels in just 14 months.

This follows an extensive programme of improvement addressing areas including the management of post-partum haemorrhage, maternity triage and c-section waiting times.

Chief Nurse, Jo Haworth, said: “I’d like to acknowledge how proud I am of our teams, who have worked tirelessly to implement such an incredible amount of positive change, which is reflected in our new report. We’ll continue to focus on improving the service, providing safe, compassionate and high-quality care to local families in order to reach our ambition of being ‘outstanding’.”

Community diagnostic centre one of the highest performing in the country

The West Kent Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) has ranked in the top ten in the country for the number of tests delivered, in data released as part of the Government's 10-Year Health Plan for England.

The Centre has delivered over 188,000 tests to patients since its first unit opened in November 2023, ranking it in the top ten nationally and the third highest out of 29 in the south east. Almost 98% of patients rate the service as ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’, with many mentioning speed of service, helpful staff and modern facilities in their feedback.

Located close to Maidstone Hospital, the CDC offers a range of diagnostic tests away from a hospital setting including X-ray, DEXA, ultrasound, respiratory and cardiology tests, as well as MRI, CT and blood testing.

Making diagnostic tests more accessible to patients helps to reduce waiting times and ensures patients receive a quicker diagnosis and treatment.

Generous donations fund new equipment at Fordcombe Hospital

Patients at Fordcombe Hospital are benefitting from new endoscopy equipment thanks to a donation from our MTW Hospitals Charity.

Charitable funds have been used to purchase a gold standard CO2 insufflator and flushing pump, high quality equipment that will allow full procedure lists to be carried out at Fordcombe Hospital.

The new equipment will support efforts to reduce endoscopy waiting times, particularly for patients on the urgent two-week cancer pathway.

Claire Ashby, Head of Charity and Fundraising, said: “It was a pleasure to support the Fordcombe Endoscopy team in the purchase of their new equipment, all thanks to our generous donors and fundraisers. Last year, the charity funded over £520,000 of investments that are making a real difference to the experience of patients, visitors and staff.”

Supporting children with diabetes

Transitioning from primary to secondary school can be a daunting prospect for any child, but for those living with diabetes, moving schools can present additional challenges and they will often need to take a more active role in managing their condition. A group of 10 and 11 year olds living with type 1 diabetes recently attended an event organised by the Trust’s Paediatric Diabetes team, to support them with this transition. Known as a ‘627 day’ (denoting the move from year 6 to year 7), the team hosts the event every year to support children in learning to manage their diabetes more independently as they move into a new school environment. The programme uses a mix of learning and play to explore a range of topics, including monitoring their blood glucose and injecting or using insulin pumps, how to recognise the signs of hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia, and how to manage their diet. The children also have the opportunity to speak with a specialist psychologist to voice any worries about starting a new school and explaining their condition to others.

Revamped helipad opens at Maidstone Hospital

The helipad at Maidstone Hospital has officially reopened, following improvement and upgrade work.

The revamp was made possible thanks to a generous donation of over £170,000 from the HELP Appeal, the country’s only charity dedicated to funding NHS hospital helipads.

As well as providing safe emergency landings from specialist crews attending 999 calls in the local area, the helipad is used to bring critically ill patients to Maidstone Hospital. It is also used in urgent cases where patients require rapid transfer to specialist units, such as major trauma centres in London.

Since it was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal in 2019, the helipad has seen over 170 landings from air ambulance helicopters including Air Ambulance Kent Surrey and Sussex, and the Children’s Air Ambulance.

Cutting-edge technology helps gynaecology patients

Innovative robotic surgery is set to help hundreds of women living with severe endometriosis and other gynaecological conditions.

The Trust’s surgical team recently performed their first robot-assisted hysterectomy, making MTW one of the first NHS trusts in the region to deliver this pioneering surgery and setting new standards for women’s healthcare.

The Trust took delivery of its first surgical robot at Maidstone Hospital in September 2024 and a second at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in April. Over 340 of our patients have already benefited from robot-assisted surgery for colorectal, bariatric (weight management), gynae-oncology and urology procedures.

Robot-assisted surgery has many benefits for patients – it is less invasive, leads to less pain after the operation, and can mean a faster recovery time.

Memorial unveiled at hospital for World War II pilot

A memorial has been unveiled at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in honour of First Lieutenant William M McDermott and all who flew over the hospital during wartime. McDermott was an American fighter pilot, whose plane collided with another and crashed on 10 June 1944 close to the hospital, which served as a vital medical facility during the war. The other pilot safely parachuted into the hospital grounds. Members of McDermott's family attended the recent memorial unveiling, alongside guests including His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant of Kent, The Lady Colgrain, members of the United States Government, the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells and staff from the Trust’s Executive team. As a Veteran Aware organisation, the new memorial highlights the Trust’s commitment to supporting our armed forces community. This work was recently recognised when MTW became one of only 202 organisations in the UK to be awarded the prestigious Gold Defence Employer Recognition Scheme Award.

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