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Thanet Stroke Campaign plans to lodge judicial review against decision to close Thanet stroke unit

By: Caitlin Webb, local democracy reporter

Published: 21:11, 22 March 2019

Updated: 21:17, 22 March 2019

A campaign group is starting procedures for a judicial review to be lodged against the decision to close the stroke unit in Thanet.

Member of Thanet Stroke Campaign, Cllr Karen Constantine (Lab), has confirmed a preliminary outline case will be filed with barrister soon.

It comes more than a month after the joint committee of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) approved the proposal to locate three specialist stroke units at hospitals in Ashford, Dartford and Maidstone.

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Several protests have been held by campaigners fighting to save stroke units

Cllr Karen Constantine (Lab) said: "Thanet Stroke Campaign have spoken with barristers and we have been advised the clock is ticking as we have three months from February 14 to put in a claim for judicial review.

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"We are now working on our preliminary outline case to put that in, when we put that in before May 14, that has the impact of stopping the clock.

"We are in a peculiar position now because we are going to go into official purdah and none of this can be done while we are in purdah.

WATCH: Campaigners' fight against stroke unit closures

"We are 90% there but we are not going to push the button just yet, but I think it's really important people know that it is in process and it is going to happen."

The county councillor and district councillor for Ramsgate added the group were prepared to withdraw the review is the NHS either decide to build four units or change the locations.

Cllr Constantine added: "As things stand at the moment, they've got a lot of work to do to improve the plan."

Kent County councillors today threatened to refer stroke review to the minister of health unless the NHS reconsiders its decision.

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