A RETIRED consultant who led a campaign to keep specialist ear, nose and throat services in Maidstone, has warned proposed changes to other specialisms at the hospital could be disastrous.

Andrew Johns, who was a consultant ENT surgeon in Maidstone for 20 years, led a campaign in 1995 against plans to move ENT in-patient services out of Maidstone to Tunbridge Wells and Medway.

The Kent Messenger-backed campaign Keep ENT in Maidstone failed despite more than 11,000 people signing a petition against the changes.

Mr Johns took early retirement two years ago, but returned as a locum to Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells last month, and said he was shocked to find the service worse than before the changes.

He has warned this is set to be repeated if the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust's proposals for orthopaedics and trauma, maternity and children's services go ahead.

"Many of the Kent Messenger's readers will remember the support given to the campaign to retain ENT services in Maidstone in 1995. Support was also given by many of the consultants now petitioning the chief executive of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust. They foresaw that the loss of ENT would be but the first step in a march to run down the hospital services in Maidstone.

"I can say from first-hand experience that, despite the best efforts of many of the staff, the ENT service in Maidstone is worse than before the changes, nor did I see any improvement in the service in Tunbridge Wells. Rather than learn from this, ENT's experience is to be repeated," he said.

During the six-month campaign, Mr Johns spoke out about the proposals while many of his clinical colleagues backed the plans.

But Mr Johns, who quit as clinical director as a result although stayed as a consultant, said: "If you go back into the history of it, you will see that ENT went through quite a similar sort of disastrous exercise. Unfortunately, the lesson learnt by health service managers is that they can get away with anything they choose. They move on, perhaps promoted and perhaps honoured, but they do not have to live with the consequences of their actions. The consultants, however, are the most permanent members of the workforce in the hospital and their experience and knowledge should not be lightly dismissed."

He added: "The public is offered a fig leaf of 'consultation' but experience suggests it is not too cynical to observe that a decision by managers precedes rather than follows this process."