STROKE services at Medway Maritime Hospital are to have a major overhaul with a specialised unit planned.

A unit of six beds will replace the present 23 beds that are scattered around the medical wards of the hospital. Other beds would be at community hospitals, such as St Bartholomew's in Rochester, and other patients would be cared for at home.

Andy Horne, Medway NHS Trust chief executive, said: "One of the things identified in the Commission for Health Improvement report was that stroke services needed some development.

"So in the past 12 months we have been working very closely with both the Primary Care Trusts and one of the clinicians within the hospital to develop a stroke strategy."

The hospital has taken into account comments of patients and users of the stroke service.

The hospital aims to set up the new unit sometime after next April as long as the money is available. The hospital is trying to secure money from the primary care trust for the scheme.