15 Jul

Hari Budha Magar Opens New £1M+ Prosthetic Clinic for Amputees in Kent and Medway

Nearly 1,100 amputees in the Kent and Medway region will benefit from the new prosthetic centre now open in Maidstone. Operated by Steeper Group, providing services for the NHS, the centre was officially opened by Hari Budha Magar MBE, a double above-knee amputee and user of the service.

The 1,340 sqm refurbished site houses a full multidisciplinary team including a doctor, nurse, occupational therapist, physiotherapists, prosthetists, prosthetic technicians and management and administration. For patients attending the service, this means faster access to joined-up care, seeing their prosthetist, clinical team and rehabilitation support all under one roof.

Until June 2026, the service operated from a building at the Medway Maritime Hospital that was no longer fit for purpose. Providing a new, accessible site was a crucial aspect of this contract to reduce health inequalities for patients across the Kent and Medway region. The new site was chosen for its location in the centre of the prominent Kent town, Maidstone. It is well connected for those who need to travel to their prosthetic appointment by public transport routes such as trains from Maidstone East and Maidstone Barracks, or local bus routes; there is also ample free on-site parking, including accessible spaces for those arriving by car. The favourable location allows patients to pop into town for a coffee, or to do their shopping after their appointment.

Andrew Nicol, Director of Services at Steeper Group said, "We want prosthetics to be part of everyday life. Like going to the opticians or the hairdressers, it may be a bit boring, a bit tiresome, but it's not stressful, and it's certainly not difficult. We want [our patients' time at this centre] to be a part of everyday life, and that's what makes this centre so special."

Over the next nine years, Steeper is committed to delivering a service that is safe and sustainable for amputees of all ages in Kent and Medway, clinically and cost-effectively. With the patient at the heart of everything we do, responsive care will help the local amputee community to achieve their goals, whether that be getting back to work or climbing mountains.

We had the pleasure of inviting service user Hari Budha Magar MBE to officially open the centre on 7th July 2026. Hari was serving with the British Army as a Gurkha in Afghanistan when he lost both his legs, above the knee, after standing on an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). He has since become the first double above-knee amputee to summit Mount Everest and the first double above-knee amputee to complete the Seven Summits Challenge, climbing the seven tallest mountains on every continent.

When asked what this new facility means to him, Hari said, "Many places around the world don't have facilities like this. I've travelled to many parts of the world, and some [amputees] can't even access basic prosthetic legs. Without the team here in Kent and Medway, I wouldn't be here doing what I have been doing.

Not just me, but many people like myself come here to get fitted with legs so that we can do whatever it is we love to do! [Steeper] make it so we can go to the toilet ourselves, make a cup of tea, cook food, be outside in our garden, or climb mountains!"

Also in attendance to celebrate the opening of the new centre was Lord Craig Mackinlay of Richborough, who also uses the service after he became a quadruple amputee as a result of contracting sepsis back in 2023. He commented, "You find yourself, as I did, having an event you didn't expect, and you're clinging on to anything that's going to make your life better again. It's centres like this which will make the difference to people, getting the service they need, getting the rehabilitation, getting the prosthetics, all of those bits and pieces you need to rebuild your life [are here]."

Steeper is a trusted NHS partner, providing upper limb prosthetic services and components since it was formed in 1948, and expanding into lower limb prosthetics in 1988. Steeper supports around 250,000 patients annually with prosthetic and orthotic devices. Our new centre in Kent and Medway ensures the local amputee community continues to receive the highest quality care, as they need it, setting a new standard of prosthetic provision in the industry.

Steeper is part of the Eqwal Group, a global provider of prosthetic and orthotic care operating across the UK, Europe and the US. The Kent and Medway Prosthetics Centre draws on this wider network, sharing clinical expertise, technology and best practice with Steeper's other NHS and private services across England while remaining rooted in local care for the Kent and Medway community.

Contact Kent and Medway Prosthetics Centre
Address: Unit 2, Lower Boxley Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 2UU
Phone: 01622 944 712
Email: [email protected]

Hari Budha Magar Opens New £1M+ Prosthetic Clinic for Amputees in Kent and Medway

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