A hospital that was bought by the NHS at the start of the year will be putting longest-waiting patients first.

Fordcombe Hospital near Tunbridge Wells was purchased by Maidstone and Tunbridge NHS Trust (MTW) in March to reduce waiting lists.

It will be taking on a “significant number” of patients who have been waiting the longest.

Almost 1,600 patients have already been transferred to the new site for treatment and 2,500 people in total will be seen there by the end of March.

The Trust bought the hospital from Spire Healthcare and took over its management on Tuesday (October 1) following a six-month transition period.

The former private healthcare facility in Fordcombe Road, Penshurst, has been renamed Fordcombe Hospital.

It will provide planned care in ear, nose and throat, trauma and orthopaedics, gastroenterology, diagnostics and endoscopy.

MTW looks after two other hospitals – Maidstone in Hermitage Lane and Tunbridge Wells in Tonbridge Road. The additional facilities at the new site will help free-up capacity at both.

The 170 staff who worked at the former Spire Healthcare site have transferred to MTW.

Miles Scott, chief executive at MTW, said: “The Trust is working in collaboration with our NHS partners to treat those patients who have been waiting the longest.

“We are really pleased to be a part of this and are already seeing the impact the increase in capacity is making to patient care and experience.

“I want to thank all the staff at Fordcombe and teams across MTW for their fantastic support and hard work over the last six months.

“We continue to be one of the best performing hospital trusts in the country and we are looking forward to working with our new colleagues as we develop services at Fordcombe.”