MASH History

MASH was officially formed at a well-attended public meeting at Maidstone Town Hall in July, 2008.  First chairman was KCC and Maidstone Borough Councillor Eric Hotson with Maidstone Councillor Fran Wilson as vice-chairman of the non-party-political executive committee.

The executive committee is formed

The demonstration outside County Hall

The meeting brought together in one body campaigners who had been working mostly individually for up to 10 years mainly to fight against transfer by the NHS of core services from Maidstone Hospital to the new pfi-funded hospital planned for Pembury.  By the time MASH was formed the decision had already been taken in the face of very powerful Maidstone objections to transfer emergency and orthopaedic surgery from Maidstone when Pembury opened in 2011.
The MASH executive was soon very heavily involved in an intensive and often bitter campaign to reverse a trust decision that women’s and children’s services should be transferred too as the new Pembury Hospital opened.  The original decision had been supported by KCC Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee but the MASH campaign saw this significant statutory body reverse that decision and tell the Secretary of State for Health the transfer should not proceed.  The MASH demonstration outside County Hall was seen on BBC TV – as was the demonstration at Maidstone Hospital which preceded a pram push by MP Helen Grant the 17 miles from Maidstone to Pembury Hospital.

The day of the big pram push

The Secretary of State for Health (Andrew Lansley) decided he would make the final decision himself and the MASH executive worked tirelessly to  present first to the trust and then the Minister more than 10 detailed papers why the transfers should not take place.  MASH won determined support from both Kent County Council and Maidstone Borough Council and surveys conducted by Maidstone BMA revealed Maidstone area GPs were massively opposed to these transfers.  The Minister was so concerned he visited Maidstone Hospital to meet the GPs and hear their concerns.  Kent County Council staged a big rally at Maidstone Leisure Centre and the public turned out strongly to let the trust know exactly what they thought.

The Minister’s final decision to allow the trust to go ahead came as a bitter disappointment to Maidstone area at Christmas 2010.  There was powerful local support to take his decision to court for a Judicial Review and a fighting fund was quickly set up.  But specialist counsel’s opinion was the legal case was not strong enough and it did not proceed.

Chairman Cllr Eric Hotson stood down as he prepared to become Mayor of Maidstone in 2010/11 and stalwart campaigner Dennis Fowle, retired Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of the Downs Mail, was elected to replace him.  As a journalist he led the press investigation in to the infections and shortcomings at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals which led to the death of about 100 patients and the subsequent demise of trust Chief Executive Rose Gibb and most of the trust board following a damning Healthcare Commission report.