The son of a stroke victim is calling on people across Kent to fight to keep the stroke unit at Margate's QEQM Hospital.

Cliftonville resident Jason Tipple, whose father collapsed with a stroke earlier this year, has major concerns over the increase in journey times the proposal to have three hyper-acute units across the county would bring.

He said: "Of all the services you could move, stroke isn't one of them.

"You've got to have that in your local hospital."

Jason's father was taken by ambulance to the Margate hospital - a journey of just ten minutes, and was successfully treated.

If the planned closure goes ahead stroke victims in the area will have to travel further to the nearest stroke unit, and Jason says, risk being severely disabled or dying.

He added: "Everyone knows how urgent it is to have speed in treatment for strokes.

"This is too important to play about with."

Tomorrow, Jason will join campaigners from across Kent who are marching in a bid to save Margate’s stroke unit.

The proposal to close the unit has been made by NHS bosses in Kent and Medway who have plans to set up three new hyper acute stroke units in the region — all remote from Thanet.

A spokesperson for the Save Our NHS In Kent group, who have organised a protest march, claimed that this means the lives of Thanet people will be sacrificed to save on costs.

The spokesperson said: “The official advice is that speed of treatment is vital for stroke victims — so Thanet people will die as a result of having to travel to the nearest new proposed unit in Ashford.

"And where’s the sense in closing a stroke unit in Thanet, an area of high deprivation and ill health where stroke victims are likely to be most common? It’s madness.”

The NHS has defended its proposal, however, saying that it would be better to travel for longer for a higher quality of treatment.

A statement from NHS is east Kent says: “There is overwhelming evidence that NHS proposals to create a new hyper acute stroke unit in Ashford would save lives and reduce disability for the people of Thanet and the rest of east Kent.

“With stroke, what counts is getting the right treatment from specialist staff, whatever time of day or day of the week it is.

“It is better to travel an hour in an ambulance to a specialist unit where your treatment starts in 30 minutes, than to spend 15 minutes in an ambulance and wait three hours in A&E.

“Our proposals recommend Ashford as the right place for the hyper acute stroke unit because it has the range of services that are desirable for a hyper acute stroke unit and it can be reached in less than 61 minutes from everywhere in east Kent.”

Jason will be one of the speakers at the demonstration tomorrow.

He said: “My father has had one stroke and it’s woken me up to how important this is.

"And I think if people care about their loved ones, about themselves and their health, then I think this is one thing we’ve got to get together to fight for and get a good service in our local hospital.”

The march will start from the main entrance to Margate’s QEQM hospital in Ramsgate Road at midday.