Improving your hospitals

Same Day Emergency Care units

We’re making our emergency departments better at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

We’re improving special units called Same Day Emergency Care. These units help doctors and nurses check, treat, and send some patients home on the same day they arrive. This means people don’t always need to stay overnight in hospital.

This is different from Urgent Treatment Centres, which help people with small injuries or illnesses.

We have been awarded £28.95m of NHSE funding across both hospitals. Work started in September 2025 and should finish by summer 2026. While we do the work, some services will move to different places for a short time. We’re sorry if this causes any problems. If you’re visiting either hospital, please allow extra time.

Solar Panel Project

We have secured £2.2 million from Great British Energy to install solar panels at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

The panels will be installed on top of a new canopy roof structure above a car park at the site, and will generate clean, renewable energy, while providing shade and shelter for patients and visitors.

Installation will be completed in phases with the project due for completion by summer 2026. The canopies can be installed in sections, allowing parts of the car park to remain open throughout the project.

Infrastructure Project

The Trust and 2gether Support Solutions is leading on are undertaking a review of critical infrastructure works including areas such as fire alarms, water towers power supply, building fabric and ventilation systems.

The Trust spent around £16m on addressing the highest priority issues that have been identified last year and is expecting to spend a similar amount this year, subject to NHSE approval.

There may be some disruption as building work is carried out and we apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Catheter Lab Project

A £3.9million cardiac catheter laboratory at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford will ensure patients who need procedures such as angioplasty or pacemakers being fitted, will have access to brand new facilities including a recovery area and state-of-the-art technology. 

The new replacement lab will also provide improved staff facilities such as changing rooms and a break room, as well as providing an improved patient and family experience.

The project is capital funded by the Trust. Work started in March 2026 and is due to be completed by the end of this year.