Faversham health updates
Working together to strengthen the future of health services for Faversham
More than 200 Faversham residents joined a panel of clinicians and senior health leaders on Tuesday, 2 September to hear updates on efforts to re-open the inpatient ward at Faversham Cottage Hospital and help shape what comes next.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (KCHFT) listening event, at the town’s Alexander Centre, provided an opportunity for people to hear directly from Chief Executive Mairead McCormick about the difficult decision to pause inpatient services due to unsafe nursing staffing levels.
Alongside other senior leaders, Chief Nurse Caroline Bates explained the challenges of staffing the isolated 16-bed inpatient ward, against a national nursing shortage, and the ongoing efforts to recruit staff and maintain safety.
The event was designed not just to inform, but to listen. Attendees heard presentations about steps to recruit, the current position and were invited to share their views, ask questions and contribute to the discussion.
View the slide presentation from Tuesday, 2 September.
Chief Executive Mairead McCormick said: "We understand how valued Faversham Cottage Hospital is by the local community and our colleagues.
“Temporarily pausing inpatient admissions at Faversham was not an easy decision, but the safety and wellbeing of our patients must always come first.
“Recruitment to the ward is ongoing. While we’ve made several offers, we still face numerous vacancies and are months away from being able to re-open. We will only re-open to inpatients when it is safe to do so.”
While admissions to the ward are paused, the trust explored with the community their experience of health services in Faversham and what else they needed to stay well and healthy in their own homes.
As more complex care is being delivered at home than ever before, more than 1,000 Faversham residents this year so far have received care at home through the KCHFT urgent care services. These services are helping people to recover quickly and maintain independence in their own home. KCHFT is keen to hear thoughts on other services that may be needed to support people and residents are invited to give their view through this survey.
Mairead added: “We’re grateful to every resident, partner or colleague who came along to give their input, ask questions and offer their support to develop health services in the town. That conversation was just the beginning – we are committed to engaging with the local community.
“We’re keen to hear people’s views on what the people of Faversham need. This could include temporary services in the hospital or exploring how site-based teams could strengthen support for recovery at home – where many people would prefer to be and where they can regain independence more quickly.
“We’re committed to working with the community to design strong, neighbourhood healthcare for the future that meets people's needs.”
Feedback from the event and the survey will be reviewed and there will be more opportunities for people to get involved over the coming months.
Other services at the site, including the GP surgery and the urgent treatment centre, are not affected.
If you missed the meeting, you can watch the recording of the presentations online.
Previous news updates for Faversham inpatient ward
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) is inviting residents to a special community health update and listening event at the Alexander Centre in Faversham, on Tuesday, 2 September.
The evening will provide an opportunity to hear updates on progress to safely re-open the inpatient ward at Faversham Cottage Hospital and, in light of the Government’s recently published 10 Year Health Plan, share ideas on how local NHS services can be improved by working together.
Hosted by representatives from local NHS primary and community services, the event will include:
- updates on recent developments
- a Q&A session
- an interactive workshop to gather feedback and explore future priorities.
KCHFT Chief Executive Mairead McCormick said: “We know how much Faversham Cottage Hospital means to the community and our colleagues and we promised to keep people updated and involved.
“This event is a chance to share what’s been happening, but also to talk about how care is evolving – especially with more support at home – and listen to local voices as we shape the future of neighbourhood health together.”
Faversham and Mid-Kent MP Helen Whately and Faversham GP Dr Gaurav Gupta will also be attending to support the conversation and hear directly from residents.
Event details:
The Alexander Centre, 15–17 Preston Street, Faversham, ME13 8NZ
Tuesday, 2 September
7pm to 8.30pm (doors open at 6.30pm)
Email kchft.comms@nhs.net
Efforts are continuing to safely re-open the inpatient ward at Faversham Cottage Hospital.
The difficult decision to temporarily pause admissions was made on 1 July 2025, on grounds of patient safety due to staffing challenges, particularly in registered nursing and leadership roles.
Despite efforts to bolster staffing by transferring colleagues from alternative hospitals, recruiting to vacant posts, supporting staff to return to work and using a bank and agency workforce, the situation became unsustainable and was placing pressure on other services.
Chief Allied Health Professions Officer Rachel Dalton said: “This was not an easy decision, but the safety and wellbeing of our patients and staff must always come first.
“Thanks to the professionalism and dedication of our colleagues, most patients were safely discharged; with two being transferred to other community hospitals.
“Colleagues have been temporarily redeployed to other community hospitals or community-based roles and we are incredibly grateful for their flexibility, professionalism and commitment.”
Since the pause, recruitment efforts have been refreshed. Two nurses have been offered positions at Faversham, with further interviews and recruitment continuing to fill vacancies.
Colleagues who have been off sick are being supported with phased returns to work.
Rachel said: “Due to time needed for pre-employment checks and inductions, any of the first phase of new staff recruited are not expected to start until the end of September 2025 at the earliest.
“As a result, it is too early to consider reopening the ward. We will provide a further update in a month.
"We understand how valued Faversham Cottage Hospital is by the local community and our colleagues. We will only re-open to inpatients when it is safe and sustainable to do so.”
Other NHS services on the site, including the urgent treatment centre and GP services, are unaffected by the pause.
The trust confirmed that the impact of the pause on the wider healthcare system in east Kent has so far been minimal, with no reported issues around access to rehabilitation beds, acknowledging the short period of closure.
“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” said Rachel. “At the same time, we’re looking at how we can strengthen services that support recovery at home, where many people would prefer to be and where they can regain independence more quickly.”
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) has taken the decision to temporarily pause the inpatient service at Faversham Cottage Hospital.
Admissions were paused on Friday (27 June) to maintain safe staffing levels, due to a rising number of nursing vacancies and sickness, particularly in critical leadership roles.
On Tuesday, the trust made the difficult decision not to re-open to admissions and to temporarily stop the inpatient service for a month while a full review of staffing is carried out.
Faversham Cottage Hospital, in Stone Street, has a 16-bed ‘Kent’ ward and provides rehabilitation for patients across east Kent to help them regain their independence after leaving an acute hospital.
All other services provided at the hospital are unaffected.
KCHFT Chief Executive Mairead McCormick said: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly. Our priority is, and always will be, the safety and wellbeing of our patients, staff and volunteers.
“During the past couple of months, we have been working hard to bolster staffing; transferring colleagues from alternative hospitals, recruiting to vacant posts, supporting staff to return to work and using our bank and agency workforce.
“Despite these efforts, it is no longer sustainable to continue to use a temporary workforce and re-deploy staff from our other hospitals, placing other services at risk.
“I want to stress this is a temporary pause and in no way reflects on the dedication and professionalism of our team at Faversham, who strive to provide the very best care for our patients.
“Thanks to the hard work of everyone, we hope the remaining three patients will be ready to go home, with support, by Friday. If not, they will be smoothly transferred to another community hospital.
"Today we are launching a new recruitment campaign to attract staff to all our community hospitals and community teams."
The trust will work closely with staff and partners to minimise disruption and offer alternative temporary roles to support more people to receive care in their own homes, or at alternative community hospitals, such as those in Whitstable and Herne Bay.
We will also be working with our dedicated and valued catering and facilities teams, to support them into alternative roles during the pause.
The trust has committed to reviewing the decision within a month.
Recruitment opportunities
If you're a registered nurse or nurse associate looking for a great new role in the community, apply online now.
You can find out more about what it's like to work in our community hospitals on our website.
Recruitment opportunities
If you're a registered nurse or nurse associate looking for a great new role in the community, apply online now.
You can find out more about what it's like to work in our community hospitals.
