Stronger together for Kent and Medway 

Today marks an important milestone as colleagues and services from Medway Community Healthcare formally join Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, bringing together community health teams across Kent and Medway within a single organisation.

More than 1,250 colleagues and a wide range of community services have transferred, following more than two years of planning, engagement and partnership working.

I want to start by thanking everyone who has helped us reach this point. Colleagues across both organisations have worked incredibly hard in recent months to prepare for today, often alongside their day jobs. I would also like to thank our partners, governors, staff representatives and stakeholders for their support, challenge and encouragement throughout the journey.

For patients and local people, our priority remains unchanged. Services continue to operate, colleagues remain focused on delivering care, and people should continue to access support in the same way they do today.

All the latest information about the services available and information about the integration is on our integration with Medway page.

While today is significant, we are approaching it with a sense of humility. Bringing two organisations together is a major undertaking. We have worked hard to prepare, but we know there will be things that take time to settle and there may be occasions where we do not get everything right first time. When that happens, we will listen, learn and work with colleagues and partners to put things right. Being open, responsive and honest about that is an important part of how we want to work.

The integration will bring together expertise, experience and resources so we can do more for the people and communities we serve. By working as one organisation, we have greater opportunities to share learning, strengthen services and develop new ways of delivering care closer to home.

Our commitment to the people of Medway as we launch new service

One early example is the launch today of a new frailty hospital at home service in Medway with access to specialist diagnosticians and support from our GP partners and Medway NHS Foundation Trust. This is just one of a number of initiatives already being developed collaboratively and demonstrates the practical benefits that can come from bringing services together. It's early days for this service, building on the brilliant urgent community response already in place, and we hope to help more people receive care in their own homes, while reducing avoidable hospital admissions in the future. A similar service is being planned for Swale in partnership with HCRG. 

The transfer does not change our commitment to Medway. If anything, it strengthens our ability to work with partners to attract investment, develop services and tackle some of the health challenges facing Medway's communities. We also want to be clear that Medway's identity and needs continue to matter. Medway will remain a distinct place within our future neighbourhood model.

The challenges facing health and care are well known. Demand is rising, people are living longer with increasingly complex needs, and there remain inequalities in health outcomes that require our collective attention. No single organisation can solve those challenges alone. Progress will continue to depend on strong partnerships across the NHS, local government, the voluntary sector and local communities themselves.

That is why we see today not as the end of a process, but as the beginning of a new chapter. We now have an opportunity to combine the strengths of both organisations, learn from one another and work even more closely with partners to improve care for local people.

There is much more to do, and the benefits will not be realised overnight. But today gives us a stronger foundation from which to move forward together. Most importantly, it gives us the opportunity to build on the dedication, expertise and commitment of colleagues across Kent and Medway in service of the people and communities who rely on us every day.

Colin Lynch
Chair
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust

Mairead McCormick
Chief Executive
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust