Deal MP Charlie Elphicke is appealing to people of Deal to make his hospital survey a success in the run-up to next week’s important public meeting.

A team of volunteers has been posting the forms to about 12,000 homes in the town and by Tuesday afternoon nearly a thousand had already been returned to Conservative Party offices on The Strand, Walmer.

Mr Elphicke said: “I am pleased with the early response so far and it is very clear people care very deeply about Deal Hospital.

“It has been a mammoth task delivering the surveys and all thanks to the enthusiastic volunteers. Now we are appealing to people to answer the five questions and return the forms as soon as possible.”

The survey became a reality after the Deal Hospital Fete earlier this month when Mr Elphicke talked to many people about their fears for the future of the hospital.

He said: “The Friends group is particularly concerned about the lack of certainty about what is going on and I share those concerns. It is not just about saving our much-loved hospital, it’s about whether more locally based health services can be provided here.”

The Tory MP has called a public meeting at Deal Town Hall, starting at 7pm at Deal Town Hall on Friday, August 30, to be attended by Dr Darren Cocker, clinical chairman of NHS South Kent Coast Clinical Commissioning Group.

* For full story see the East Kent Mercury, August 22.