Did you have a baby in January or February 2026? Please tell us about your experiences by completing the #MaternitySurvey.
Look out for your invitation in the post or by SMS.
Find out more: .uk/news/tell-us-what-maternity-care-you-2026
Congratulations to trauma and orthopaedics doctor Aranghan Lingham, who has published a review on the diagnosis and treatment of a rare spinal condition.
Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is caused by acute compression of the nerves at the base of the spine and can have life-changing consequences if not promptly diagnosed and treated.
Aranghan and three colleagues reviewed diagnosis and management of the condition, and the implication of recent UK national guidance.
Their narrative review highlights the updated standardised red flag symptoms and signs for this condition, and emphasises a thorough neurological examination with rapid access to MRI.
Aranghan said: “How we approach and manage this surgical emergency in the UK has shifted substantially over the past few years.
“It is clear that there is an implementation gap between best practice management of patients with this time critical diagnosis, and work as done in reality.
“Education is one small part of that gap, so we hope that this review will be useful to surgeons, clinicians, patients, and their families.”
You can read the full review online: /journal/BJHM/87/4/10.31083/BJHM52970
Feeling anxious or low? 😔
NHS Talking Therapies can help with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems — including PTSD, social anxiety and obsessive thoughts.
Refer yourself or speak to your GP 👉/talk
#NHSTalkingTherapies
Due to ongoing improvement project work at the QEQM Hospital in Margate, there will be some disruption to traffic near the Ramsgate road entrance, tomorrow (Saturday, 16 May).
You will still be able to access the site but the road will be shut off by the bus stop, with the one-way system reversed. Buses will not be able to stop at the hospital but will be using the bus stop on the main road instead. Traffic marshals will be in place to direct traffic on the site from 8am until approximately 4pm.
We apologise for any disruption this may cause and we ask anyone coming to the site to allow more time for their journey.
Congratulations to St Lawrence ward at K&C, who have become the first on the site to scoop a silver in our ward and clinic accreditation programme.
The team received their certificate from chief nursing and midwifery officer Sarah Hayes, and associate director of nursing for vascular at K&C Matt Devereux.
Harbledown ward also received a bronze award, presented by Sarah and stroke lead nurse Rai Mala.
Tutu Atalabi, lead nurse for ward and clinic accreditation, said: “We were absolutely delighted to be able to present the first silver at K&C.
“It represents a huge amount of work from the team on St Lawrence ward, who were rightly proud of their achievement.
“A silver award reflects the team’s commitment to the highest possible standards of patient care – we are now eagerly waiting to see which site will be the first to hit gold.”
Areas are assessed on a range of patient care standards – 10 for non-inpatient areas and 13 for inpatient areas. These include patient experience, medication safety, and infection prevention and control.
The assessing team use a combination of methods, from observing care to looking at DATIX reports. Wards are awarded bronze, silver, or gold, or white if they are below the expected standard. Each then creates an action plan to work on improving their scores.
🕒 Visiting hours
Most wards welcome visitors from 7am to 8pm.
👨👩👧 Number of visitors
Patients can usually have up to two visitors at their bedside at one time.
🏥 Different areas, different rules
Some departments (like maternity, children’s wards and critical care) have slightly different arrangements, so please check ahead.
💙 Need extra flexibility?
We support flexible and compassionate visiting, including for patients who need additional support or those receiving end-of-life care.
⚠️ Before you visit
Please don’t come in if you’re unwell, and remember to clean your hands and follow infection prevention guidance.
👉 Find full details here:
🔗 /information-for-patients/visiting/
Well done to Liz Boatman, from radiology at K&C, who took part in the London Marathon last Sunday.
It was Liz’s 10th marathon, and she has raised more than £2,700 for children’s charity Barnardo’s.
She said: “It was a truly special day showcasing the best of humanity, with people willing each other on to do well and celebrating in a carnival atmosphere.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who supported me during my training and for all who donated.
“Knowing I had that support and that we had smashed the target really helped get me round a challenging course! So many, many thanks to you all again. It was a day to remember.”
East Kent Hospitals Charity has places for a range of running events, including next year’s Manchester Marathon, the Hampton Court half marathon, and 5k or 10k events. Find out more at .uk/events/
♻️ Re-Hale is expanding across Kent and Medway!
We’re excited to share that the Re-Hale inhaler recycling programme has now recycled over 100,000 inhalers thanks to the incredible support of patients like you.
You can now drop off your used or unwanted inhalers at more locations than ever, including:
✔️ Community pharmacies
✔️ GP dispensing practices
✔️ Acute hospital pharmacies
Let’s keep building on this success, your inhaler can be recycled.
Find your nearest site:
This is a Circularity in Primary Pharmaceutical Packaging Accelerator (CiPPPA) initiative, managed by TDi Sustainability. TDi is funded by its membership, including pharmaceutical companies. For more information on the members, visit: .membership.
Well done to Eva Kirby, from health records, who raised £650 for the League of Friends of K&C by completing a sky dive.
Eva’s sky-high fundraiser will go towards the League’s East Kent Cancer Radiotherapy Treatment Appeal, aiming to raise a total of £800,000 to pay for surface-guided technology.
They are using £400,000 from a legacy from Hilda Levi to kick-start the appeal, and have raised more than £136,000 on top of that so far.
Eva said: “Since working for the Trust, I have come to understand the importance of our values, and the culture we create as a team.
“Even though I am not in the clinical side of the NHS, I see daily how affected we are as a trust by constraints we cannot control.
“Despite this we come together and ensure patient care is at the heart of everything we do.
“Fundraising for this particular event ensures the care patients require are accessible, more comfortable, and accurate.
“I am glad that I was able to contribute and I encourage others to do so.”
Thank you, Eva! You can donate to the appeal online: /campaign/eastkentcancerradiotherapytreatmentappeal
Congratulations to medical education manager Emma Rutterford-Dawkins, who is a finalist in the Kent Apprenticeship Awards.
Winners will be announced at a gala dinner on Thursday, 4 June.
Emma said: “I’m really excited to have been shortlisted as a finalist.
“It’s been a challenging but rewarding journey, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. A big thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way.”
A spokesman for the awards said the finalists represented the very best of apprenticeships across Kent, showcasing talent, dedication and outstanding achievement.
Well done Emma!
We've been celebrating our nurses all day for #InternationalNursesDay
Kashika Wann, from the coronary care unit at the William Harvey Hospital, shared her journey in nursing.
She said: "Growing up, I never imagined that one day I would become a nurse.
"I always admired nurses — not only for their knowledge and skill, but for the compassion they showed even in the most difficult moments. They cared for their patients with strength, patience, and kindness, often putting others before themselves. Watching them inspired me to become someone who could make a difference in another person’s life."
Kashika trained in India and moved to the UK in 2022.
She said: "Time has truly flown by, but I cherish every moment, every lesson, and every experience along the way.
"I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing and supportive team. It is always an absolute joy to work alongside people who uplift, encourage, and inspire one another every single day. And to top it all off, we have the most wonderful manager, Kat, whose leadership and support make such a difference to our team.
"Through God’s grace, this calling became my reality. While this profession comes with stress, exhaustion, and sacrifice, I remain deeply grateful to the Almighty Father for entrusting me with such a noble and humbling purpose.
"Nursing is more than a career; it is a commitment to serve, to comfort, and to stand beside people during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
"There is something truly meaningful about being able to kneel beside a patient and say, 'I will do my best to take care of you.'
"Those moments of faith, hope, and human connection are the absolute best part of what I do.
"The smiles, the gratitude, and the sincere appreciation from patients and their families make every challenge worthwhile. Even on the hardest days, I am proud to be part of a profession built on compassion, courage, faith, and care.
"To all nurses and healthcare workers — thank you for the quiet strength and kindness you bring into the world every single day."
Happy International Nurses Day, Kashika and all our nurses!
Kashika Wann
We've been celebrating International Nurses Day all day, with profiles of some of our incredible nurses.
Last but not least is Sarah Stirrup. With many nurses in her family, Sarah was clear she didn’t want to follow in their footsteps.
Instead, she pursued a career as a systems analyst. But after caring for her parents before their deaths, and witnessing the compassion of the nursing teams, she felt inspired to retrain and see how she could make a difference. Sarah retrained aged 40, starting her course the same day her youngest started school and balancing her new career with parenthood.
Sarah spent a week with the research team at QEQM whilst a student, so when she was working in ITU at the William Harvey Hospital and spotted a research post at QEQM she decided to apply.
Now senior research nurse and team leader of the research delivery team at the William Harvey Hospital, Sarah works with teams across the site on a range of studies to help improve care for the future.
She said: “I wanted to do something that made a long-term difference for patients, and evidence shows that research active Trusts have better patient outcomes.
“Some people think research nursing is writing essays or dealing with data (and we do have a lot of important data!) but the data is because we give people new drugs, or trial new devices, or help find out which treatment or pathway is more effective.
“The pandemic helped raise the profile of research and how important it is; at the beginning no one knew what the treatment would be but through research we found treatments and then the vaccine."
Her background as an analyst helps with her current role, which involves a lot of project management and organisation.
She said: “One of the most positive things about nursing as a career is the many different options open to you and I definitely feel I am in the right place.
“Research really embodies the Trust values of making people feel safe and cared for, and making a difference, and it’s real holistic care.
“For me, the role embodies nursing and evidence-based care, and it is a privilege to work with patients who are so altruistic."
Read more at /news/
