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Enhancing holistic cancer care beyond medical treatment
 Planning permission has been granted for a new Maggie’s cancer support centre at Maidstone Hospital, marking a major milestone in the expansion of support services for patients across Kent and East Sussex.
More than 11,000 people in Kent are diagnosed with cancer each year. The new centre is expected to open in 2028 and will be staffed by specialist teams including psychologists, cancer support experts and benefits advisors, providing free help to people living with cancer, as well as their family members and friends.
The multimillion-pound facility will include spaces for one-to-one consultations, group activities and exercise classes, with patients and families able to drop in without an appointment.
Maidstone Hospital is already home to the Kent Oncology Centre, which provides some of the fastest access to cancer care in the country. The new cancer centre will mean the Trust is able to work in partnership with Maggie’s and support patients to navigate the emotional and practical challenges of a cancer diagnosis alongside receiving world-class medical treatment.
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Study aims to spot pancreatic cancer in diabetes patients sooner
The Trust has become a regional research hub for the SAFE-D clinical study, which is trialling whether a new type of blood test can detect the early signs of pancreatic cancer in people with new onset type 2 diabetes.
Around 240,000 patients are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every year in England. The condition occurs when a person’s body is unable to produce enough of a hormone called insulin, or when the insulin produced doesn’t work properly. Low insulin causes the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to become too high, which can lead to complications including heart disease and nerve problems.
People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of having pancreatic cancer without knowing, as are those with newly raised blood glucose levels that may indicate emerging diabetes. There is currently no established screening test for pancreatic cancer, which is difficult to diagnose in its early stages.
Kasha Hobbs, Diabetes Research Nurse, and Dr Samantha Anandappa, Lead for Diabetes and Endocrinology and Principal Investigator for the study, have been delivering SAFE-D at the Trust throughout February and March.
Dr Anandappa said: “If shown to be effective, the new blood test could make a life-changing difference to thousands of people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes by supporting earlier pancreatic cancer diagnosis and enabling them to access treatment sooner."
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Trust celebrated at Healthwatch awards
 The work of the West Kent Single Point of Access (SPOA) team was recently celebrated at the Healthwatch Recognition Awards.
Hosted by Healthwatch Kent, the awards recognise the teams making a difference to health and social care across Kent and Medway through collaboration and innovation.
The SPOA is made up of a multidisciplinary team of senior paramedics from the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) and clinicians from MTW and Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), in partnership with the West Kent Health and Care Partnership. It is the only urgent care service in west Kent where acute hospital, community and ambulance clinicians work together in real time.
The team speak with ambulance crews, community services and primary care, and make joint decisions on the best treatment service for patients. This could include an urgent treatment centre, same day emergency care unit, A&E or a specialist community service.
The service has helped ease pressure on busy A&E departments and has transformed urgent care for local residents, helping people get the right care in the right place and supporting more people to remain safely at home with the right community support.
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Supporting the humanitarian effort in Ukraine
 The Trust has been making a difference to wounded soldiers and communities in Ukraine by donating medical supplies that have been wrongly delivered or discontinued.
The items can sometimes be used for staff training, but any surplus stock has been donated to the Ukraine's Wheels of Victory charity, to support the Ternopil Regional Clinical Hospital in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian hospital has carried out over 2,000 operations on wounded soldiers while continuing to care for the wider local population, and is so busy that many surgeons and doctors sleep there and return home just one day a week.
Other supplies have also been sent to combat medics in the 253rd separate Assault Regiment, who deliver care on the frontline.
Donating surplus medical items to Ukraine has meant the Trust is able to support humanitarian efforts while also reducing waste.
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Consultant shares expertise for Endometriosis Action Month |
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Consultant Gynaecologist, Mr Ahmed El Gohari, was recently invited to speak at a webinar hosted by the West Kent Endometriosis UK support group as part of Endometriosis Action Month.
The campaign aims to increase awareness of endometriosis, a condition affecting one in 10 women worldwide, where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows elsewhere in the body, causing inflammation, scarring and significant pain.
During his talk, Mr El Gohari spoke about the current theories on the causes of endometriosis and also discussed the latest research and emerging medical treatments. His presentation was followed by a Q&A session, in which he answered questions on a range of topics including post-hysterectomy recovery and the management of symptoms.
A spokesperson for West Kent Endometriosis UK said: “All our members in the West Kent Endometriosis UK support group would like to sincerely thank Mr El Gohari for agreeing to hold a talk and Q&A session for us. We all suffer from endometriosis, which is often debilitating and deeply affects our lives, and having a specialist who is keen to engage with us and also offer a space to answer our questions is an incredible thing.”
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Teams run half marathon to enhance services
 Staff laced up their running shoes and took on the Paddock Wood Half Marathon last Sunday, in support of MTW Hospitals Charity.
Sponsored by Wells Health, the event saw our running teams pound the Paddock Wood pavements over 13.1 miles and raise nearly £2,000 for the charity.
The funds will help purchase specialist equipment for the Stroke Unit at Maidstone Hospital and the Intensive Care Unit at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, enhancing patient care and contributing to service improvements across our hospitals.
Speaking after the race, Catherine Mandri, who ran with the Stroke team (pictured) said: “We had great running weather and there were lots of friendly, supportive groups along the route. The Stroke team all ran personal bests and we are very proud of what we achieved. We also surpassed our initial fundraising target which made everything even better!”
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Spotlight on the Patient Transport team
 The NHS couldn't function without the work of teams behind the scenes who keep services running and support patients while they are in our care.
One of these is the Patient Transport team, who ensure some of our most vulnerable patients are in the right place at the right time to receive treatment.
Having transported 2,882 patients in the last year, the team taken on journeys that are time-critical, complex or otherwise at risk of delay.
This can include a same-day transfer to a care home, or a patient who needs to travel between our hospital for a specialist assessment. They recently supported a patient receiving end of life care, who wanted to spend their final hours at home with their family.
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