Community services in Kent and Medway set to strengthen under community health partnership
A new partnership between Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT), HCRG Care Group (HCRG) and Medway Community Healthcare (MCH) promises to enhance community healthcare across the region.
New contracts, awarded by NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board to KCHFT as lead provider, begin by 27 October 2025 and will run for at least five years.
This partnership aims to build on existing services, combining expertise to deliver even greater improvements. One of the key goals is to make sure people can access the right services, no matter where they live.
Mairead McCormick, KCHFT Chief Executive, said: “We’re stronger together, so I’m delighted to combine forces with HCRG Care Group and MCH to use our collective expertise and resources to improve care for adults and children across the county.
“We each bring highly-skilled compassionate professionals, a deep understanding of our communities and a proven track record in transforming services.
“Our common goal is to support people to live their best life. Working with GPs and other health and care partners, we will build neighbourhood health services that keep people well at home, investing in a future where proactive and preventive care leads the way.”
Pat Birchall, CEO at HCRG Care Group, said: “We’re proud to continue providing adult community services in North Kent and Swale and to be part of a partnership that’s focused on delivering consistent, high-quality care across Kent and Medway.
This will enable us to strengthen existing partnerships and take a more joined-up approach to service delivery.
“Our shared ambition is to reduce health inequalities, improve consistency of care, and ensure that adults across the region can access the support they need, wherever they live.”
Martin Riley, Managing Director of Medway Community Healthcare (MCH), said: “Our aim has always been to provide excellent quality care and we know from experience that the best way to do the right thing for our communities, is often to do it together with others.
“We’re delighted about the award of the new contracts. Working in closer partnership will benefit everyone in Kent and Medway who needs our help. We can combine our expertise and resources, share best practice and research, develop new pathways, and improve access to healthcare to genuinely respond to increasing demand and local needs.”
Paul Bentley, Chief Executive of NHS Kent and Medway, said: “To deliver the ambitions of the NHS 10-year plan, strong community services will play a significant role.
“The combined power of this partnership will help us achieve better outcomes for the people we serve by delivering more services in the community, at the best value.
“People told us they wanted joined-up services where different professionals worked together more seamlessly and for us to reduce variation so everyone can access equitable levels of care. This partnership will help do that.
“We will continue to gather feedback on what the people of Kent and Medway want and need throughout the lifetime of these contracts so they can continue to improve.”
Plans for improvements to the service are being developed and will be shared in the coming weeks. These will focus on making it easier for people to get the care that they need, strengthening the links between local health and social care services for more joined-up services, and ensuring everyone receives the same standard of support —wherever they live.
Local people won’t see any immediate changes to the services they receive. Their care will continue to be delivered by the same trusted teams of professionals.
