Practice News

Message from ENT Medway NHS Foundation Trust

Timely access to planned care is a top priority for us. Unfortunately, we have identified that 8,849 patients referred to our Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) service did not have their referrals managed in line with NHS waiting time standards. We are deeply sorry that this has caused unnecessary delays to patient care.

Who is affected?

This issue affects patients awaiting care from the ENT service provided by Medway NHS Foundation Trust at:

• Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham

• Darent Valley Hospital, Dartford

The impacted patients include:

• 4,279 adults and children (mainly in Dartford, Gravesham, Swanley, Bexley, and Greenwich) waiting for a first outpatient appointment

• 4,570 existing patients awaiting a follow-up appointment, diagnostic test, or procedure

When referrals were originally received, they were assessed by a clinician and marked as routine. No urgent concerns, such as suspected cancer, were identified at that time.

What are we doing now?

We are taking the following actions:

• Contacting all affected patients to apologise and arrange appointments as soon as possible.

• Expanding clinic capacity to offer more appointments.

• Improving referral systems and oversight to ensure this does not happen again.

• Commissioning a full, independent investigation to understand how this occurred and whether any patient has come to harm.

What does this mean for patients?

We are very sorry that these delays may now increase wait times for ENT care. However, patients will continue to be prioritised based on clinical need, using the information included in their referral.

There is no change to the process for urgent referrals, including those under the two-week wait (suspected cancer) pathway. Routine referrals from GPs and other primary care providers should continue via the electronic referral service (e-RS).

Advice for patients

If you are affected by this delay, you will receive a letter from us by next week. In the meantime, if you have any questions about an existing referral, please contact us:

📞 Phone: 01634 976656 (Monday to Friday, during office hours)
📧 Email: medwayft.entdvhpatients@nhs.net

Once again, we sincerely apologise for this error and any distress it may have caused. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we work to put this right.

Bowel and Breast Cancer Screening

Breast Screening

If you have missed your breast screening appointment, you can contact your local Breast Screening Unit to reschedule:

📍 Canterbury Breast Screening Unit
✉️ ekh-tr.breastscreening@nhs.net
📞 01227 783000

📍 Maidstone Breast Screening Unit
✉️ mtw-tr.bsu@nhs.net
📞 01622 710185

📍 Medway Breast Screening Unit
✉️ met-tr.medwaybreastscreening@nhs.net
📞 01634 825036

Bowel Screening

To request a replacement bowel screening kit or if you have any queries about the bowel screening programme, contact the free NHS helpline:

📞 0800 707 60 60

✅ People over 74 can continue to be screened every two years by calling this number to request a kit.

💙 Early Detection Saves Lives

Don’t delay—screening helps find cancer early, when it’s most treatable.

MACMILLAN Support for Patients & Carers

Published on 15th Jul 2025

Pregnancy with Diabetes

Published on 14th Jul 2025

If you have been affected by suicide - AMPARO CAN HELP

Published on 8th Jul 2025

📢 Important Update: Availability of Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for Weight Management

NHS England is introducing tirzepatide (Mounjaro) for weight management as part of a phased national rollout. According to NICE guidelines, patients must be referred to a diet and exercise support programme alongside any prescription of this medication. This programme is known as the Behavioural Support for Obesity Prescribing (BSOP).

⚠️ Not Yet Available in Kent & Medway

Although tirzepatide is expected to become available in primary care from Monday 23rd June for certain eligible patients, this is dependent on the availability of the BSOP service, which has not yet been commissioned in Kent and Medway.

Until this service is in place:

• GPs in our area are not able to prescribe tirzepatide (Mounjaro).

• Tirzepatide weight management drug semaglutide (Wegovy) under the RTC pathway

We understand that patients may be eager to access this new treatment, but we kindly ask that you do not book a GP appointment to discuss tirzepatide at this time.

Please check the following website for regular updates:
🔗Update on availability of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) to support weight loss :: Kent & Medway ICS

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Love Your Cervix

Published on 20th Jun 2025

Warm Homes Healthy Futures

What is Warm Homes, Healthy Futures?
The aim of Warm Homes, Healthy Futures is to provide energy advice and support ‘on prescription’ to vulnerable people living with a health condition or disability that’s made worse by living in a cold, damp, poor quality home. People can be supported with:
• Bespoke advice and support with their energy bills, suppliers, and energy saving
• Benefit checks, income maximisation and claim support
• Servicing of boilers and gas appliances
• Signup to the Priority Services Register
• Carbon monoxide awareness
• Support accessing crisis support that might be available, for example fuel vouchers
• Support accessing grants for repair and replacement boilers and other household measures such as insulation

Who is delivering it? 
National Energy Action (NEA) is a national charity working across England, Wales and Northern Ireland to ensure that everyone can afford to live in a warm, safe and healthy home. NEA has been around for more than forty years and has worked on the delivery of many heathfocused referral projects. We and our partners know how significant this type of support can be to people who have a health condition, are vulnerable to the cold, and struggling to manage their energy bills. NEA is pleased to be working with a wide network of health partners and other key local agencies in more than twenty areas across Great Britain. The programme is funded by the Vulnerability and Carbon Monoxide Allowance fund and is supported by the Gas Distribution Networks, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales and West Utilities. 

Referrals are being taken now and the programme will run until March 2026.

How does the programme work?
The project is intended to support individuals who are living with a health condition or disability that is made worse by living in a cold, damp, poor quality home, and struggling to afford the cost of their energy bills.

If you identify clients or patients that could benefit from support with this issue, then please 
make a referral via the dedicated Warm Homes, Healthy Futures secure online referral form: 
https://www.nea.org.uk/whhf-energy/

NEA’s expert and dedicated advisers will then make contact with that person to discuss how we 
can best provide help and support. We’ll try to reach to them by phone and text message (as well 
as email if they have provided an email address and are happy to communicate this way).

For questions or further information please contact: healthyfutures@nea.org.uk

Feeling Good App

We are excited to be sharing a fantastic digital solution for improving mental health and wellbeing that our PCN has been selected to be trialling.

The app is audio, simple and effective for depression, anxiety and sleep

The Feeling Good App contains the evidence-based audio programme Feeling Good for Life, which is the new name for Positive Mental Training, a series of 12 audio tracks to help you build essential skills, not only to deal with mental stresses and strains, but to bounce forwards and become mentally stronger and more resilient.  There are other modules on the app, all contain the same beginning tracks from Feeling Good for Life.

 This programme can help relax & calm your mind and body, lift your mood, help you feel more positive, let go of worries, sleep better and deal with stresses more easily. It can also help with physical symptoms of stress, such as headaches, irritable bowel, fatigue, and chronic pain. It can improve your ability to focus on a task, to feel positive about yourself when talking to others, to perform at your best when you need to.

Click here for more information.

Better care Support

Kent County Council has launched BetterCare Support - an online self-assessment tool, to enable people to live independently and safely within their communities and home. By answering questions about their social care needs, the tool provides people with information, advice, and guidance about the options and services available to them.

You can find other online resources below.

·         Social care and health - Kent County Council

·         Financial calculator

·         Kent Connect to Support

·         Kent PA Web

·         Adult social care and health procedures, practice guidance and tools