A couple fear that a vital service at Deal Hospital may be moved out of the area inconveniencing the patients who rely on it.

Discussions are underway over the way the anticoagulation service is delivered to the “small number of patients who need it” in Deal.

The service is for people who are at risk from getting blood clots.

The East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust (EKHUFT) has confirmed it is exploring options after a fall in the numbers of people that use it.

Deirdre Poynder, 66, of Devon Avenue in Walmer, has sticky blood syndrome and has been going for 20 years.

She is given warfarin to try and stop blood from forming in an area, essentially causing a clot.

Her husband Anthony, 67, a semi-retired marine consultant, said that if the service was moved elsewhere in the district that his wife would lose access to it.

The father-of-one said: “If it stays in Deal, then all well and good.

“But we do have a problem if it goes to Buckland Hospital in Dover as it is such an inaccessible hospital.”

There is no confirmation of where the service will be held and no decisions have been made.

Mrs Poynder does not drive and relies on her bus pass to get around.

“It is not only Deirdre, it is all the other patients it could inconvenience,” Mr Poynder said.

Clinics such as this one help to reduce the chances of developing serious conditions such as strokes and heart attacks.

Hosptial trust spokesman Yasmin Khan said: “The trust is exploring options around the delivery of the anticoagulation service for the small number of Deal patients who need it.

“There has been a reduction in the number of patients requiring warfarin monitoring due to the availability of alternative drugs.

“In addition, there has been an increase in community providers where clinically suitable patients, requiring an anticoagulation service, can be seen.

“No decisions have yet been made and any changes will ensure that Deal patients who need the anticoagulation service, continue to have access as locally as possible.”