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  The meeting yesterday was very enlightening, Contrary to expectations a new attitude seems to be prevalent and the meeting reflected that. The ark is a superb location but was far from full. It was a meeting called to get opinion for the 10 doctor consortium for Dover on what services the public wanted - and they got it with both barrels!
  
  lots of ideas and information that I felt the two hours wasnt enough. At the end we told the consortium that they must not just consider Dover but Deal and the surrounding area if the service was to be big enough to satisfy the critical mass necessary to maintain a larger than minimum facility that the people were now demanding - eg 24 hrs opening - bed s and full emergency services.
  
  The organisers openly admitted that the public pressure had hastened the timescale and decisions will be made in the next 3 months. The famous Dr Sewell was there and informed our group that it was unfortunate that the Government opinion of hospitals was to follow the Californian system where a hospital was for operations and emergency only and that every other type of less urgent care should be handled by private or local services. Unfortunately those services dont exist in this country as in america where the main provision is private care.
  
  We pressed to drop the title community hospital and just call it a hospital with the capability of growth. every past provision has been out of date as soon as its built - so a more open mind to flexibility and expansion was needed.
  
  The announcement that Ashford is to get a new community hospital that day didnt go down too well. I made personal contact with the Trust Project leader and told him that the people of dover would hold him personally responsible and he agreed to stand up to that requirement. He said that he had an open mind and had only been in the job for 6 months so wasnt carrying historical baggage.
  
  the new Dover hospital group that I am assisting will continue the fight - see the poor quality website that I have started at newdoverhospitalgroup.org.uk for information. If anyone wants to volunteer to improve it please contact me!
  
  Badges are now available and I suspect that car stickers will follow as the momentum grows. We must ensure tha this time Dover and the area around as well as Deal get the hub that is needed not some temporary patch job. Hundreds of dover and deal people have spoken to me in the past weeks agreeing with the same thoughts. we have been let down before so the mandate of the people will be heard. Its not some sideline ,the group has thousands of signatures and hundreds of supporters so the public will be listened to - after all it is a crucial facility for a world class town.

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