Although just out of the constituency, Darent Valley Hospital is used by many residents across Swanley and Hextable, and I was very pleased to recently meet, alongside Dartford MP Gareth Johnson, with Dartford and Gravesham Trust CEO Jonathan Wade, along with senior members of his team.
As one of Labour’s first PFI hospitals, I heard of the terrible legacy this policy has had - including the hospital not even owning the car parks! But, on a more positive note, it was great to hear of the success they have had since Covid (and despite ongoing doctors strikes) of reducing the long-term waiting list from 900 to 100 – something which will be helped further by the recently announced funding by the Government for a refurbishment which will create extra beds across three wards.
The Trust is now ranked 5th out of 120 NHS trusts in the UK, which is a huge achievement, and is down to the extraordinary hard work of doctors, nurses and other hospital staff, as well as the excellent leadership from Jonathan and his team.
I was pleased while on a tour of the hospital to spend a lot of time in the Maternity Unit, which is a policy area close to my heart and we discussed some of the feedback from my recent local maternity survey.
As demand on the hospital increase myself and Gareth will continue to work closely with the Trust to help support their bids for further funding and expansion.
