Frustration at six-hour hospital closure meeting

Dr Pete Scolding said that St Peter's Hospital in Maldon presented "some challenges"

NHS staff, patients and residents have spoken out against plans to close a community hospital during a six-hour public hearing.

Local health bosses have proposed permanently shutting St Peter's Hospital in Maldon and relocating beds and services elsewhere in Essex.

One maternity carer told the meeting that "ultimately we think it's a very bad decision" to close the midwife-led birthing unit at the hospital.

The NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) said it needed to think about "how we can best serve our growing population" of 1.2 million people.

St Peter's maternity care assistant Nicola Dallinger said "it's a very bad decision"

The NHS relocated outpatient staff and services to other hospitals last year, including the birthing unit to Braintree Community Hospital 16 miles (26km) away.

An ongoing consultation has proposed making the changes permanent and selling the St Peter's building for £6.2m.

The NHS says there has been an average of six births a month at St Peter’s.

But Nicola Dallinger, a maternity care assistant, pointed out that expectant parents had changed their planned hospital because of uncertainty in Maldon and said there were 256 postnatal stays at the unit between March and July last year.

"We were there for the women, we were there overnight, we were there all day, 24-7 and we were giving exceptional care,” said Ms Dallinger.

'Plundered'

Holly Fry, 34, said she was one of the last mothers to give birth at St Peter's in July and described the proposals as "absolutely disgraceful" and "underhand".

The ICB said outpatient maternity services would still be available in the Maldon district, but Ms Fry pointed out that she had wanted to stay overnight at St Peter's after giving birth.

Steve Rogers, 60, who lives in Maldon, addressed the public hearing and told the BBC “I’ve never done anything like this before".

"Maldon has been plundered by the NHS for over 32 years. They’ve spent all the money elsewhere, it’s time that we get that money back," he told the meeting panel.

He said the hospital was "strategically important" to the Dengie peninsula and that the district needed a hospital or NHS hub.

Campaigners said about 750 people held a vigil at St Peter’s hospital on Saturday.

Several residents also raised concerns it would take more than two hours to get to Brentwood, where beds for stroke rehabilitation have already been relocated to.

Holly Fry, 34, told the hearing the consultation was "absolutely disgraceful"

Roger Tiffin, 74, from Heybridge, who was protesting outside the town hall, said he had just taken his neighbour for an appointment to Brentwood and back.

He said she could not travel by bus because the appointment was at 19:30 GMT and that a taxi would have cost £78 each way.

Michelle Olley from the Save Maldon Medical Services group told the hearing that St Peter’s provided “everything under one roof”.

She argued the hospital was in “pretty good condition” and had “plenty of investment in the roof and the floors” and had a "fantastic outpatient department”.

'Some challenges'

Dr Pete Scolding, clinical lead from the ICB, said he did not "quite agree" with the suggestion that birth rates at St Peter's were low as a result of women avoiding the unit due to uncertainty.

He said "availability of staff" was a significant challenge and added: “That has meant at times we have had to change where some of the midwifery service has been provided.

"The top priority has always been quality and safety of our patients."

Dr Scolding added: "The fact remains, [St Peter's] was built as a workhouse rather than an NHS hospital for the 2020s, it does have some challenges."

More than 3,000 people have responded to the consultation online so far, the public hearing was told. It has been extended until the 4 April.