Catch up with all the news from across the county with Abby Hook.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Hello, good evening and welcome to Kentonite live on KMTV.
00:28I'm Abbey Hook, here are your top stories on Tuesday the 22nd of October.
00:33Kent's ADHD crisis.
00:35Thousands of adults wait up to seven years for diagnosis.
00:40Growing up and even now as an adult, having racing thoughts,
00:44having intrusive thoughts and impulsive behaviours,
00:47that can impact my self-esteem.
00:49And I think it did growing up.
00:51Promoting growth.
00:52New business hub opens in Chatham, aiming to bring economic growth.
00:57I thought you should do this, it's central, look at the car park,
00:59look at the station, look at the bus station, everything's here.
01:02You can't turn it into a flask.
01:04And archives make history.
01:0625 years since Medway Archive Centre set up UK's first online database.
01:12I believe we were the first in local government to do this.
01:27First tonight, the demand for adult ADHD services in Kent and Medway
01:31has skyrocketed, a staggering 600% rise in just two years.
01:36Referrals have surged dramatically over the past 12 months alone.
01:40But what's behind it and why are so many people seeking out support now?
01:44During this year's ADHD Awareness Month, with the theme Awareness is Key,
01:49Kristen Hawthorne visited North Kent Mind to investigate.
01:53There are nearly 14,000 adults in Kent waiting for an ADHD diagnosis,
01:58with some facing waits as long as seven years.
02:02The demand for adult ADHD services in Kent and Medway
02:05has surged by 600% over the past two years,
02:10with an 80% increase in referrals in the last 12 months.
02:14ADHD affects more people than we would think.
02:17And across Kent, the waiting times for a diagnosis are only increasing.
02:21It can be a real struggle for those who deal with the disorder
02:24and finding help can be even harder.
02:26But by raising awareness, these issues can become easier
02:30for those who are struggling.
02:31As a child growing up, I was seen as being inattentive
02:35and overstimulated and talkative.
02:38And I've recognised that I had sensory issues and I was always...
02:43I found that really irritating because I was like,
02:45God, that's really annoying me and I'm being distracted by other things.
02:48And I think sometimes the things that I can say,
02:52it damaged my self-esteem because sometimes it would come across
02:55that I'm being stupid or I'm not focused on the conversation that's happening.
02:58So I think growing up and even now as an adult,
03:02having racing thoughts, having intrusive thoughts and impulsive behaviours,
03:07that can impact my self-esteem.
03:08And I think it did growing up.
03:10Kent's suicide rate is above the national average
03:14and people with ADHD are a high risk group.
03:17In the UK, suicide rates for those with ADHD are striking.
03:21One in 10 men and boys and one in four women and girls.
03:26And so we do have adults with the condition
03:28and people started to realise also who hadn't been diagnosed
03:32when they were a child, that they had the condition.
03:35So they've come forward and they've asked for diagnosis.
03:38And that rush of people coming in wanting to have diagnosis as an adult
03:43has ended up with an enormous number of referrals going forward.
03:46And of course that's put a lot of pressure on services to respond.
03:50With diagnosis waiting times only growing, many feel anxious and abandoned.
03:55The biggest struggle is the wait time
03:58because once you've taken that initial leap of faith,
04:01it's like, is it actually going to be supported?
04:05Is it going to be acted on?
04:06And I think that's what we're working really hard to ensure
04:09that anybody that comes to us and asks for support
04:12is that we're able to give them that.
04:14However, new plans in Kent aim to support neurodivergent children
04:18in primary schools, focusing on mental health, language and sensory development.
04:23With this early intervention, the problems that follow many adults now
04:27with the disorder may not affect the next generation in the same way.
04:31I think that's why it's so important for us to be able to raise awareness
04:35and support people from a much younger age to be able to have better outcomes
04:39and especially women, because it is statistically
04:43that men are diagnosed younger than women.
04:47During this year's Awareness Month, it's important to remember
04:50that for those struggling, seeking support early is key.
04:54Although the demand is high, reaching out to your GP or organisations
04:57like North Kent Mind can help because support is available
05:01even if it feels out of reach.
05:03Kristen Hawthorne, KMTV.
05:06Kristen joins me in the studio now.
05:09Really fascinating sort of deeper dive into it
05:12and obviously speaking with Jessica there about her experience.
05:15How do these diagnoses impact and differ for women in particular?
05:21Well, I mean, certainly the symptoms that were made up a long time ago,
05:25they were made for men.
05:27And so, you know, like 20 years ago, maybe in schools,
05:32the symptoms were made for men.
05:34So teachers were specifically looking, noticing the boys,
05:38whereas girls sort of cope with it in a different way.
05:41And they tend to mask more.
05:43And, you know, due to societal expectations,
05:48maybe the phrase seen and not heard can come into play quite often.
05:53And so that's why people tend to mask, especially women.
05:57And it can sort of, it can have a detrimental effect to diagnosis
06:02as children and as adults.
06:05And you've been speaking obviously with Dr. Julian Spinks about this
06:08and why this is so important.
06:10I think we can hear a bit from him a bit more now.
06:14I'd always rather have a situation where people were aware
06:17so they could spot things are going on.
06:19Realistically, as a clinician, as a GP,
06:22I see people for very short periods of time.
06:24And so actually I rely on the patients and their parents and so on
06:28to spot when there is the possibility something is wrong.
06:31So they come to me and I take it forward from there.
06:34If people aren't aware that it's a problem,
06:36then obviously they won't come forward.
06:38And the later we actually intervene,
06:40the more of a problem it's going to be lifelong for those people.
06:44Kristen, thank you for those details and Dr. Julian Spinks speaking there.
06:49Now, Kent police have confirmed a body has been found
06:51after a cordon was set up in a retail park in Strood.
06:55Formal identification is yet to take place,
06:57but the family of 25-year-old Regan Phillips,
07:00who has been missing since Friday, have been informed.
07:03Finn McDermott joins us live from the scene now.
07:06Finn, what more can you tell us?
07:09Well, it's certainly a strange scene to see.
07:12People are going about their daily shopping
07:14on this Tuesday evening like any other,
07:17some of them unaware of the tragedy that's happened just around the corner.
07:20Earlier, all that we could report was that a police cordon was put up here
07:25between Strood Retail Park, Morrisons, and the River Medway.
07:28We've had multiple emergency service vehicles in attendance
07:32at the supermarket throughout the day,
07:34and the access road here just behind me
07:36at the side of the supermarket was taped up.
07:39Now, we know the latest news that Kent police were called
07:42at exactly 8 past 11 this morning
07:45to reports of a body being found near Knight Road in Strood.
07:49Now, they haven't yet started the process of formal identification,
07:54but the family of Regan Phillips,
07:56a 25-year-old man who was reported missing in the area
07:59since Friday, the 18th of October, have been informed.
08:03Now, it's worth mentioning that according to Kent police officers,
08:07South East Coast Ambulance Service and the Coast Guard
08:10attended the scene earlier where a man was confirmed to be dead.
08:14Seven police cars, a Coast Guard and a Kent Fire and Rescue van
08:19were also present.
08:21One witness said that they'd never seen this kind of police
08:24or emergency service presence at a scene like this.
08:27At the very beginning of the day,
08:29only two police cars were there at first before being joined by more.
08:33Well, ambulances were also seen leaving from behind the police cordon.
08:38The death is currently not being treated as suspicious at this stage
08:43and a coroner's report is still being prepared
08:46that will contain most of the vital details.
08:49Now, at this stage, those are all the details we have
08:52and as you can see behind me, the road has now been reopened.
08:57There is no more police tape and there is no more police presence.
09:00Those are all the details we currently have on this story.
09:03Ben, thank you very much.
09:06Now, a new business hub has opened in Chatham,
09:09hoping to put the town on the map for small businesses.
09:12Platform 26 is a co-working space
09:15that recognises the economic challenges the town faces.
09:18Medway Council hopes this new venture will help to create
09:21a positive image for Chatham and promote growth.
09:25Local Democracy reporter Gabriel Morris has more.
09:29At more than 100 years old,
09:31this building's been transformed with hopes of breathing new life
09:35into the town, with endeavours of encouraging companies into Chatham.
09:39It nearly wasn't this way.
09:41The building was set to become flats until the owner's mindset was changed.
09:47When I saw this building and I knew it's in the family of 100 years,
09:51I was like, oh, no, please don't make it flats.
09:54That's my instant reaction was like,
09:56I think it's better for community, businesses.
09:58I thought you should do this, it's central.
10:00Look at the car park, look at the station, look at the bus station.
10:03Everything is here. You can't turn it into flats.
10:06So, yeah, and he said, how about you put a business plan together
10:09and we do it.
10:11Across four floors, the hub has multiple units to hire,
10:14a cafe and a podcasting studio.
10:17At the opening, Medway politicians say they hope this will transform the town.
10:21It's vitally important.
10:23It's incredibly difficult to open up businesses.
10:27It's really, really hard to sort of get that passion and drive
10:30and actually sort of place it in a business like this.
10:32So when we've got that, when we've got someone who could actually drive it
10:35into a town centre, then it's like gold dust.
10:39But companies are reporting trouble staying afloat
10:42with current economic pressures.
10:44They'll be looking for support further than just a collaborative
10:47working environment.
10:48We also need to do some more work around encouraging markets
10:51for these businesses, getting the economy growing again,
10:54getting people spending their money again.
10:56That's really critical.
10:58And just lastly, this location in Chatham is a key area of focus
11:01for the council, as well as me as a member of parliament,
11:04because we need to get people back into a high street.
11:06If people work here, they shop here and they live here.
11:10And that is something which we're trying to promote for Chatham.
11:12Platform 26 has only just opened, a new venture for an old building.
11:17But will the business owners be right, proving flats were not the answer?
11:23Gabriel Morris in Chatham.
11:25Time for a break now, but coming up, from Pocahontas being buried
11:29in Gravesend to top secret World War One plans in case Chatham was invaded,
11:34we visit the Medway Archives Centre.
11:36It holds two kilometres of records all about the hidden history
11:40of the Medway towns.
11:41All that and more after this very short break.
11:43See you then.