Out-of-hours GP appointments have moved from Medway Maritime to MCH House, Gillingham. The council got three days' notice; NHS papers call it substantial.
The GP out-of-hours service for Medway and Swale has moved out of Medway Maritime Hospital. Most face-to-face appointments are now at MCH House in Gillingham.
The move happened on 28 September. Council committee papers show the council was told on 25 September, three days earlier.
The NHS says the late notice came from an emergency award of the hospital’s Urgent Treatment Centre contract. It calls the move an interim arrangement while a full review takes place.
Where to go now
Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s notice and the committee papers set out the new arrangements:
| Service | When | How you get seen |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-hours GP | When your surgery is closed | Call 111. If you need to be seen, you may be offered an appointment at MCH House, Bailey Drive, Gillingham, ME8 0PP |
| Urgent Treatment Centre at the hospital | 8am to 7pm, seven days a week | By appointment through 111, an ambulance crew or a GP, or after triage in the Emergency Department. No direct walk-ins |
| Reduced evening clinic at the hospital | 7pm to 1am | Only if the Emergency Department books you in |
The papers say the out-of-hours service can also offer remote treatment or a home visit.
What changed behind it
The Urgent Treatment Centre was run by Medway Community Healthcare (MCH), alongside the out-of-hours service. From 28 September the hospital trust took over running the centre.
The NHS says it was challenging for two organisations to deliver from one site. The assessment form says the space was not enough for two services and led to “a crowded department”.
MCH then integrated with Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust on 1 October.
Is it a substantial change?
The same form answers that directly. It says the change “is considered substantial because the majority of the GP out of hours service has moved to a different location, changing where and how some patients access care”.
It adds that the move “may have implications for travel, transport, and accessibility”.
That legal label matters. A substantial change normally has to go to a council’s health scrutiny committee for consultation before it goes ahead. Here, the committee’s report asked members to decide on 13 October, about two weeks after the move.
It also says Kent’s own health scrutiny committee has not treated the proposals as a substantial change.
The record of the 13 October meeting has not been published, so we cannot yet say what Medway’s committee decided.
What the NHS says about patients
The NHS submission makes these claims for MCH House:
- access is good and parking is free
- waits are shorter, with patients more likely to be seen within 30 minutes of their appointment time
- no group with protected characteristics will be negatively affected
The papers give no figures for the waiting times. The form says waits, use of 111, attendances and access will be monitored.
What happens next
The NHS’s stated end point is a 24-hour Urgent Treatment Centre at the hospital. It would sit alongside a 24-hour community service offering remote care and care at home, particularly for people who are frail or at the end of life.
The papers promised engagement with patients and the public during October. We found no published dates for it.
The committee report says the Integrated Care Board should report back on its review in December. The committee next meets on 3 December.
What it means for you
- Call 111 first. Do not go to the hospital expecting to see an out-of-hours GP.
- Check the address. An out-of-hours appointment will usually be at Bailey Drive, not the hospital.
- If getting to Bailey Drive is hard, tell the 111 call handler. The papers say remote care and home visits are options.
- In a life-threatening emergency, call 999 as usual.
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