HEALTH chiefs in Kent have confirmed that the county is to keep its own ambulance service.

Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority has decided Kent Ambulance Trust will not merge with neighbouring services as had been proposed.

The authority's board meeting confirmed the ambulance service would keep its Kent and Medway identity. The authority said the decision meant modernisation of Kent Ambulance Trust could now begin.

Ken Smith, trust chief executive for three years, is to retire in December. Candy Morris, the authority's chief executive, said: "Ken has done a great job in leading the trust during a period when the NHS has been undergoing major changes, and Kent Ambulance Trust's three-star performance status is a mark of that.

"The trust's five-year strategic plan to modernise local ambulance services has been developed under his leadership."

Changes are likely to include devolving decisions about the ambulance service as much as possible. The authority has decided to make the service more efficient by fostering closer co-operation between Kent Ambulance Trust, and Surrey Ambulance Trust and Sussex Ambulance Trust.

An earlier proposal to create a new Kent and Sussex ambulance service was scrapped after consultation last year, when the majority of people who responded, including the Ambulance Service Association, opposed the merger.

The decisions follow work the South East Emergency Care Improvement Project has done, involving the Kent, Surrey and Sussex ambulance trusts, and primary care trusts in each area.

Tim David, chairman of Kent Ambulance NHS Trust, said: "This is excellent news. It will meet with the approval of the public and our stakeholders who wanted an ambulance trust to serve Kent and Medway. We can now get on with the job of modernising the service, working closely with our partners in the NHS and social services."