Plans have emerged to combine specialised vascular services in Kent.

Currently, vascular care is arranged at two centres - one for east Kent based at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital (K&C), in Canterbury, and one for west Kent based at Medway Maritime Hospital, in Gillingham.

A consultation has now launched to deliver the care at one centre, this being at a new Inpatient Vascular Centre at the K&C.

Health chiefs say this will allow the vascular teams from both areas to work together as one team across east Kent, Maidstone and Medway at one 'centre of excellence'.

It would see all specialist operations and treatments requiring overnight stays taking place at the Canterbury hospital, although the majority of care, such as clinics and investigations, would still be held locally.

Patients and members of the public are now being urged to consult on the plans by NHS England and the Kent and Medway CCG.

Dr Chris Tibbs, medical director commissioning for NHS England and NHS Improvement in the South East said: “Under these proposals there will be no changes for the majority of patients who would continue to access vascular care where they currently receive it in local hospitals throughout Kent and Medway.

"Only the most complex patients who require an overnight stay in hospital after having vascular surgery or radiological vascular intervention would be affected, with these patients receiving treatment at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital in Canterbury."

Vascular services reconstruct, unblock or bypass arteries and are often one-off specialist procedures to reduce the risk of sudden death or amputation and prevent stroke.

Kent vascular clinical lead Jonathan Purday added: “After exploring the options, all NHS organisations and the clinicians involved in the delivery of acute hospital services in East Kent, Medway and the Maidstone catchment of West Kent accept the proposed recommendation that Kent and Canterbury Hospital should be the medium-term inpatient vascular centre in our region - and we want vascular and kidney patients and members of the public to feedback their views on this preferred option as part of the consultation.

"Through this opportunity to change the current systems, our aims are to improve the overall sustainability of vascular service across the area, deliver excellent patient outcomes and ensure equality of care to all our patients.

"As well as delivering better access to care and patient choice, this proposal will significantly help with recruitment and retention of staff in this highly specialised service and enable us to invest in these services and our use of technology so that patients spend less time in hospital.”

To comment on the plans, click here.

The consultation runs until March 15.