Darent Valley Hospital will struggle to cope with the population spike caused by Ebbsfleet Garden City, according to the hospital’s chief executive.

The 478-bed hospital is already under huge strain and there are fears it would not be able to cope with the needs of residents moving in to the garden city, which will house 15,000 homes by the time development is complete.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust chief executive Susan Acott said: “Darent Valley Hospital is overstretched and our plans to extend some of the clinical departments are not being supported centrally.

“There appears to be very little NHS capital, so we have been unable to get investment for our therapeutic and diagnostic services agreed after two years of trying. So with Ebbsfleet on the horizon, there is a fundamental problem which no one is addressing or even seems to know how to address.”

The concerns were raised just weeks after Darent Valley’s accident and emergency department endured its busiest Sunday since the hospital opened in 2000.

Addressing staff in her monthly report for March, the chief executive said the level of attendance was pushing the trust to its limit.

She said: “This month has seen the trust having its busiest Sunday ever in A&E with an attendance of over 343 patients, which was an increase of 20 patients on the previous record.

“The staff in A&E remained professional and focused, but it is acknowledged that this level of attendance pushes the trust to its limits in terms of capacity.”

Although there are plans for 18 new GP surgeries across Ebbsfleet Garden City, Darent Valley will remain the only hospital in the area, which will likely be placed under yet more pressure by the eventual arrival of London Paramount.

Last week, we reported how the hospital had seen a shocking rise in MRSA cases. Cleanliness was a problem but so were staff shortages. Actions have been put in place to improve the situation.

Gravesham MP Adam Holloway (Con) is aware of the Ebbsfleet issue and has written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt about the need to support the hospital, while Dartford MP Gareth Johnson (Con) said extra provisions were needed to match any further population increase.

He said: “Clearly, there needs to be extra provision at Darent Valley Hospital to match any increases in population in the area.

“Since it was built, Darent Valley has continued to grow and there have been many improvements recently including the expansion of maternity services, cancer treatment and the A&E department. I would expect that expansion to continue.

“I have a meeting with the management of Darent Valley Hospital next week as well as a meeting with the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation team next month to discuss these important issues.”

Paul Spooner, interim chief executive of Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, said: “Clearly, as we work with developers to step up the delivery of up to 15,000 homes in the Garden City, we are very conscious of the demands on health care in the area and have meetings planned with the hospital and CCG to discuss the matter further.

“Our aim is to work with developers and the NHS to ensure there is appropriate planning and provision for the right level of support in all that we do.

“As one of the country’s Healthy New Towns our aim is to promote healthy living and healthy lifestyles in all aspects of our work.”