Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the opening of the new Dover hospital will be a big step forward for people in the district.

His comment was made during a visit to the Coombe Valley site, along with Deal and Dover MP Charlie Elphicke, today.

The politicians were given a guided tour around the building to check on the progress of it.

Mr Hunt said: “I think it’s really impressive. This is how the NHS is going to develop and it’s great to see Dover at the forefront of this.”

Despite concerns from those who may have to travel further to receive services which used to be on their doorstep, Mr Hunt reiterated what the CCG told KentOnline last month - that more people in the district will have less distance to travel to receive them.

He said: “The type of services offered here will become a lot more sophisticated, a lot more complex. It’s going to mean that people from Dover and Deal won’t have to travel all the way to Ashford for a lot of treatments that they previously would have had to.

“I think it’s a big step forward.”

Health bosses from the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust gave the build the go ahead in 2012.

The new Dover hospital will replace Buckland Hospital next door to it. It will include state-of-the-art equipment and care for up to 60,000 patients, based around a one-stop clinic model, which provides people with a consultation, diagnostic investigations and treatment all in the same day.

Last month, it was announced six clinics from Deal Hospital will be transferred to Dover and others will partly change with the consultants based at the new Dover hospital while GPs lead the clinics in Deal.

Dover District Council’s shadow portfolio spokesman for health and wellbeing Cllr Ben Bano said he was concerned about the effects of any transfer particularly for older people.

He thought those in a fragile state of health shouldn’t be expected to travel out of town.

Mr Hunt said: “I think that the older people who live in Deal when they come to this new hospital when it’s opened, they will see that the services here are fantastic. They will see that they will have to make fewer journeys than they currently have to do because it’s a one-stop shop all happening under one roof.

“I think they will find it’s a step forward.”

When asked if he thought consultants could spend one or two days a week in Deal, he said it was a possibility.

He said: “I think it’s important to say that this isn’t the only thing that’s happening and I think what we’ll see happening in the next five years is a very big increase in the services offered through GP surgeries because with this growing older population, GPs are actually the heart of our solution as to how we look after people.

“They are generalists who are good at knowing how to treat a whole range of conditions. That’s their core strength and I think they are the best possible people to give really good care to older people.”

The hospital, which is retaining the Buckland name, was originally set to open in March but will now open in May.

The first delay in 2013 was caused by the discovery of a Second World War bunker on-site. Then there issues with the building’s roof.

Now, contractors are dealing with a last minute electrical issue.

Director of Communications for East Kent Hospitals Peter Gilmour said: “There’s been a delay in terms of the electrical systems within the site. It’s a hospital, we need to make sure it’s right. It’s not something we can take any risk on whatsoever.

"We’re likely to have the hospital handed over to us by the contractors in May, we’ll do a deep clean throughout, we’ll bring in the equipment and make sure it’s all working and probably see our first patients here in June."

He added: “We’re looking to have a Royal opening probably in July or August. We’re waiting to hear from the palace now.

“We’d be delighted for any member of the Royal Family to come for the opening.”

Mr Elphicke said: “It’s amazing, you push for these projects and you fight to make them move ahead and to now see at the end of the parliament, the fruition of my campaign at the beginning of my parliament is just incredible. I’m just so proud and I can’t wait for this amazing facility to open.”

Mr Hunt said if he is still Health Secretary on May 8, he would be delighted to return for the opening of the hospital.

For more on this story and pictures, see next week's East Kent and Dover Mercury - out Thursday.