WHAT might happen if Tunbridge Wells' emergency services were ever called on to handle a major disaster was put to the test on Sunday in dramatic fashion.

Staff turning up for routine shifts at the town's Kent and Sussex Hospital on Mount Ephraim little dreamt of what lay before them.

Midway through the morning they were alerted to expect a big influx of casualties following a "plane crash" across the county border in Sussex.

Many of the injured, played by volunteers from Aches, the Gillingham-based Association of Casualty and Health Emergency Simulators, were made up and acting in a serious condition as ambulances began streaming in.

Burns, cuts, fractures, shock, internal bleeding and even someone horribly wounded by a stake were among conditions confronting more than 150 Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust staff called on in response to Exercise Woodchat, a major test of co-operation between emergency services in Kent and Sussex.

John Weeks, emergency planning officer, said: "The exercise had been planned for more than a year and we learned an immense amount from it.

"It simulated an air crash at Shoreham-on-Sea, near Brighton, compounded by a chemical incident, and involved hundreds of casualties."

Both front-line and back-up staff were put to the test, as well as 999 services, social services and first aid volunteers. Even catering arrangements were checked out.

A specialist mobile medical team, including theatre staff and anaesthetists was sent to the crash scene, and the South West Kent Primary Care Trust activated a community control centre at Sevenoaks Hospital, bringing district nurses and Tonbridge and Edenbridge cottage hospitals into play.

Mr Weeks, who stressed the scenario was not prompted by any terrorist threat or similar influence, said lessons learned would be incorporated into training and planning should a disaster occur for real.

Mr Weeks told KM-fm the operation was a success...