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Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling November 2015 No. 223
News Bed-blocking crisis Heritage scheme TWELVE blue plaques – remem- bering significant figures such as George Orwell – are to be as care targets missed erected in West Malling. 4 BED-blocking in local hospitals has reached an “unprecedented level”, with Donations suffer KCC flouting care transfer targets by more than nine times. CHARITIES are missing out due In July 2015 there were 1,529 in- and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. gent Care Network – has been inef- to a loss of business car stances – more than double the total The trust board was told that un- fective.” parks to housing. 8 a year earlier – where patients were less the issues were resolved the hos- During July in the Maidstone and stuck in beds in West Kent hospitals pitals would struggle to cope with Tunbridge Wells hospitals there (covering Maidstone, Tonbridge, demand, even when a new ward were 250 patients waiting for trans- Money worries Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells) opens at Tunbridge Wells Hospital. fer. The situation improved slightly FINANCIAL issues dominated without a suitable place of transfer. The problem is compromising in August, but there were still care enquiries to Maidstone Of these, 687 were due to a lack of standard four-hour A&E waiting transfer delays for 181 inpatients Citizens Advice Bureau. 13 social care capacity – massively time targets, as well as care for pa- (7.1%) in the two hospitals. This ac- breaching the target of 77 – leading tients undergoing booked opera- counted for 1,400 lost bed days. to a threat from NHS bosses to sub- tions. Extra beds and temporary staff After a meeting of the trust, KCC Final last orders mit invoices to social services and have been deployed. and Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge MEREWORTH has lost its last pub KCC. A report to the Maidstone and Wells and local government secre- after the Queen’s Head “The lack of engagement from Tunbridge Wells Trust board said: tary, the trust backed down on its closed. 16 senior officials within social services “The local committee established to threat to invoice the county is regrettable,” said the Maidstone manage emergency care – the Ur- council. 10 Comment 46-4726 Cost of living Obituaries 32 in market town Crime Reports 34 A NAIL gun was stolen from a WEST Malling is one of the most shipping container in Aylesford. expensive market towns in the UK to buy property, according to a new report. Parish Councils 42-43 It was ranked eighth priciest in AYLESFORD had committed up the country, with buyers typically to £10,000 towards a pedestrian paying £382,270 for a house, top- crossing in Eccles; lack of hall ping the average for Kent by more availability had hindered a table Park packed for first parkrun than £160,000. tennis club in East Peckham; The survey by Lloyds Bank horses were finding their way ALMOST 300 runners turned out when Malling launched its own parkrun at found that, throughout the country, onto a footpath in Leybourne; a Leybourne Lakes Country Park. buyers will part with almost phone box was being adopted in The weekly 5k timed run, which is free and open to everyone including £24,000 more to live in a market Offham. children, is the latest of 15 parkruns to be organised in Kent and more than town than in surrounding areas. 400 across the country. Parkrun events are held throughout the world. Property prices in West Malling The Malling course covers two laps around the main lake and starts near have risen by more than 25% in the the water sports centre near the main car park at the country park. past seven years and the average Funding has come from Tonbridge and Malling Council and KCC Cllr Sarah cost of a house is now 13 times the Hohler. average annual earnings of a Event director Tracy Brooks said: “I always knew that an event like worker in the area. this would be popular, but the way that the residents of Malling 5 Only one other Kent market town was listed in the nationwide Inside this edition: top 10. Cranbrook, where the aver- age price of a home is £392,479, LOCAL shops West Malling Flow- came in at number six. Beaconsfield ers, Monks Clothing and Soles was named the most expensive with Heart have all won awards. English market town with an aver- For details, see the four-page sup- age house price of £997,222, while plement by Malling Action Part- YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT Lewes (£408,641) and Midhurst nership, which supports people, 01622 690290 [email protected] (£403,893) both in Sussex, businesses and events in the 11 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent were the next dearest. 4 parishes in the Malling area. Kent’s Most Awarded Optician Book Now 01732 617557 www.optometrists.co.uk omnus stands for everything that’s great in traditional SBritish manufacturing. Established in 1840, Somnus is celebrating 175 years of bed manufacturing this year. While Somnus is known for leading the way in spring technology and innovation, at the heart of everything lays a commitment to the craft of bed making.
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