It is a teaching trust involved in the education and training of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals, with King's College London and, since 2018, Kent and Medway Medical School.

[6] In August 2022 it was reported that the trust needed £65 million worth of improvements for critical risk infrastructure including the high voltage transformers at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, high voltage upgrade works at the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, Hospital, replacement of obsolete fire alarm cabling and replacement of defective heat exchangers at the neonatal intensive care unit at the William Harvey Hospital.

[9] The trust was placed in special measures by Monitor (NHS) in September 2014 following an unfavourable report from the Care Quality Commission.

It was one of 26 responsible for half of the national growth in patients waiting more than four hours in accident and emergency over the 2014/5 winter.

[12] It hit controversy when an RAF sergeant was asked to leave the waiting room in case his uniform upset other patients.

[13] In 2016 the trust saw improvements in its annual Patient-Led Assessment in Care Environments audits, which were introduced nationally in 2013.

All hospitals, hospices and day treatment centres that give NHS-funded care are subject to a PLACE inspection.

[21] In January 2020, the inquest of baby Harry Richford revealed that he had died due to 7 gross failings which, the coroner said, amounted to neglect.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found in 2015, consultants, failing to do labour ward rounds, failing to review women, make care plans or attend out of hours when asked, consultants, rarely did CTG training, and reportedly were, "doing their own thing rather than follow guidelines" Staff alleged at the review, the board did not consider maternity services a priority and no action would be taken over concerns raised.

"[27] The story was covered nationally on all channels and later on the BBC website Michael Buchanan wrote Derek's story "No-one joined the dots" [28] Following two years of investigation into maternity services at East Kent Hospitals, a report named Reading the signals led by Dr Bill Kirkup was published on 19 October 2022.

It included denying that anything had gone amiss, minimising adverse features, finding reasons to treat deaths and other catastrophic outcomes as expected, and omitting key details in accounts given to families as well as to official bodies.

In fact, it required public remonstration by a coroner over two years later, precipitated by the persistence, diligence and courage of baby Harry’s family, to reveal an organisation that did not accept its own failings, considered itself above scrutiny or accountability, and consistently rejected the opportunity to learn when things went wrong.