Darent Valley Hospital has warned it may lose its services to treat stroke victims with changes to the NHS in Kent.

Proposals put forward by a joint taskforce of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), including Kent, will see the number of specialist stroke resources cut from the current six hospitals in Kent to only three.

This could mean the Dartford hospital is one those in the borough that could lose its Hyper Acute Stroke Service.

A consultation is being carried out by the joint taskforce to get information on where people would find stroke services like this most valuable.

Darent Valley Hospital wrote on its Facebook page: “Darent Valley Hospital is one of the options available for the new Hyper Acute Stroke Service, if chosen stroke patients will get the very best of stroke care provided locally.

“Darent Valley Hospital has the opportunity to become one of three new hyper acute stroke units.

“Without your participation stroke services may no longer remain at Darent Valley. This is your opportunity to have the very best of stroke care delivered at your hospital.”

Louise Packer said: “I work on this stroke ward and we all do a fantastic job. To be a part of the hyper acute strike unit would be amazing I am very passionate about my job and would love this opportunity.”

The committee heard that more than a third of stroke patients in the area are not getting brain scans in time and half of patients are not getting clot busting drugs in time, the report claims.

Doctor Mike Gill from Kent and Medway Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) said: “The case for change is palpable because the services are unable to provide modern stroke services, which is the immediate response to someone who has a stroke.

“You currently have six out of the seven hospitals providing acute stroke services - but this is unsustainable in terms of providing the type of care required for acute patient.

“That’s 24/7 availability of expertise and to do that you would have to have a workforce that is unaffordable and also unrecruitable.”

The consultation is available online at kentandmedway.nhs.uk/stroke-consultation-document