Page updated: 26 May 2022
Everyone living in Deal continues to have access to blood tests in the town. All four GP practices in Deal provide blood test appointments.
Phlebotomy (the taking of blood samples, which are then sent to a lab for testing) is part of the routine care that all general practices are contracted to provide.
When the phlebotomy service stopped at Victoria hospital in October 2021, a commitment was made that people would continue to have blood samples taken locally through all general practices in the area. We have supported practices to increase their capacity to cover appointments that had been running at the hospital.
There are no plans to remove other services from Victoria hospital.
Speculation circulating on social media about the hospital being under threat are entirely unfounded.
We believe local community hospitals like Deal hospital are an important part of overall NHS provision. We do not have any plans to decommission services provided there.
Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, which owns the site, has confirmed it sees the hospital as an important local resource and they are actively investing in the hospital.
Other NHS trusts that use the site - East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust and Kent and Medway Health and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust (mental health) - have also confirmed that they do not have any plans for changes to the services they run from the site.