Stroke patients in Maidstone have received a boost after a specialist treatment unit gained approval - but not everyone is happy.

Under plans agreed on Thursday, Tunbridge Wells Hospital's 10 bed acute stroke unit will close along with two other units, while Maidstone Hospital's stroke ward will be converted to one of three hyper acute stroke units (HASU) in Kent.

There is criticism county-wide though, as east Kent patients will have to travel to Ashford's William Harvey Hospital for treatment.

Maidstone Hospital's HASU is expected to open in spring next year with 38 beds.

Existing units at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospital will not shut until the new, multi-million pound unit opens.

Staff are being transferred from both units to the new specialist, 24/7 site.

Medical director at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and stroke treatment specialist Dr Peter Maskell said: "The development of hyper acute stroke units will enable many more patients to receive the same high levels of care consistently throughout Kent and Medway.

"This is about providing access to the best possible care 24/7, building on the excellent work of our staff and extending this to cover the whole week and all eventualities."

MTW Trust does not know what services will replace the space the stroke units occupy once they close next year.

Despite retaining its own treatment centre, not everyone in the County Town is happy.

Health campaigner Tony Monk was among protesters gathered outside the meeting where plans were approved on Thursday.

He said: "It seems that what's been planned is a one size fits all approach.

"Another way may have been to have had Medway and maybe Tunbridge Wells hospitals serving west Kent in the north and south areas, but then you're still left with just one hospital in Ashford to serve the whole of east Kent in which there are a heck of a lot of elderly people.

"If they had chosen Medway, you wouldn't want Maidstone because it's relatively close, whereas Tunbridge Wells is that much further away.

"But we've still got a terrible connection between Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

"We haven't planned it properly, there's a lot of things that should have been done already and that's where we've lost sight.

"Let's get our priorities straightened out, where are all the staff going to come from? I just think the whole thing's cockeyed."

Miles Scott, chief executive, said: "We welcome the decision, and the role MTW’s highly skilled stroke teams are going to play in improving outcomes for stroke patients across Kent and Medway."

Dr Maskell was one of four clinicians county-wide to try and allay fears that longer travel times could put stroke patients at risk.

A joint statement read: "We have heard concerns that stroke patients could come to harm as a result of longer travel times.

"There is talk of a ‘golden hour’, and fear that more deprived communities will suffer unless there is a specialist stroke centre near them.

"We understand why these arguments sound concerning, but they have little basis in fact.

"The reality is, sadly, that any stroke patient who dies within a few hours of having a stroke would almost certainly have died whether they were at home, in an ambulance or being cared for in the best stroke unit in the world. For the very small percentage of patients whose strokes are the cause of almost instant death, or who fall into a coma and never wake up, currently little can be done.

"However most people will survive their stroke, and the critical factor for them is how we can reduce their risk of dying in the following days, minimise their risk of long-term disability and therefore improve independence.

"We can do that best by getting them to a specialist stroke centre where they can get clot-busting care within 30 minutes of arrival if they need it, and round-the-clock care for the vital first few days after their stroke."