Civic team officially open new surgical admissions lounge at K&C

The Lord Mayor of Canterbury officially opened the new surgical admissions lounge at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital this week, funded by the hospital’s League of Friends to celebrate their 70th anniversary.

The area was created in the old AMU thanks to £160,000 funding from the League, including a £90,000 legacy from the charity’s Sturry group member Margery Rowe and £50,000 from hospital shops’ profits.

Margery’s godson Michael Overs, and his wife Maureen, were among the guests at the opening on Wednesday to hear vascular lead and consultant Lal Senaratne outline how the need for the lounge was partly due to the hospital becoming the county’s specialist centre for vascular surgery.

But it will also be used by other specialisms including urology, ENT, and interventional radiology, providing a central point where patients can come to be admitted and assessed by specialist staff.

Mr Senaratne said: “We are very, very, grateful to the League of Friends for funding this project.

“This is a unit that is going to outlast me and it will always be remembered that it was funded by the League of Friends.”

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Jean Butcher, paid tribute to the League’s generosity in funding the area, adding “I am delighted to open it, and I am sure it will be a welcome facility for all who use it.”

She was accompanied by the Lady Mayoress, Diane Baldock, and the Sheriff of Canterbury, Cllr Tom Mellish, for the opening ceremony.

Trust chairman Niall Dickson added his thanks, saying: “We owe a big thank you to the Sturry group and the League of Friends for providing the funding for this.

“We rely on the generosity of those who leave legacies and the volunteers who raise money and help in the shops.

“This place will make a real difference to the experience of patients.”

The lounge has a waiting area, cubicles, side rooms and office areas, and can accommodate up to 30 patients a day who are coming to hospital for planned surgery. It will allow the admission process to be completed in one area, and means people do not have to wait for someone to be discharged before they can be admitted.

For more information on the League of Friends and how you can get involved, visit https://www.lofkch.org.uk/