The future of the troubled Kent and Canterbury Hospital is to be discussed in the House of Commons today.

Faversham and Mid Kent MP Helen Whately has been granted a debate and will raise concerns that acute services could be permanently lost from Canterbury.

She will also call on ministers to consider the option of a new acute hospital and medical school in Canterbury, in one of the first adjournment debates of the new Parliament.

A coachload of around 50 supporters, organised by Concern for Health in East Kent (Chek), is travelling to Westminster this morning to hear her speak at about 3.30pm.

She said: "Many of my constituents rely on Kent & Canterbury Hospital and are very worried about its future.

"I called this debate so I could tell the Government how strongly people feel about the potential loss of acute services at this hospital.

"I understand that junior doctors were temporarily moved for safety reasons, but I do not want the hospital to be permanently downgraded before proper long-term alternatives are in place.

"What we really need is a new hospital on the outskirts of Canterbury and a medical school to make Kent a centre of excellence in healthcare.

"I’ll be calling on the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to – at the very least – consider this option in my debate. I’ve also requested a meeting to put my concerns to him directly."

It is thought Mrs Whately will also invite newly-elected Canterbury and Whitstable MP Rosie Duffield to speak.

On Friday night, 300 people packed a stormy public meeting a the Canterbury Academy to grill hospital bosses over the future of the K&C, which this week saw acute heart and stroke services transferred to Ashford and Margate.

One former nurse said she was "ashamed" at the way acute services were being stripped from the hospital and the meeting culminated with a call by the chairman of Chek, Ken Rogers for the resignation of East Kent hospitals' trust chief executive Matthew Kershaw.

But Mr Kershaw says that due to a lack of consultants it is not possible to offer acute services at all three hospital sites.

But he insists the hospital has a "vibrant future" in the planned reorganisation of services, called the Sustainabilty and Transformation Plan.