Workers 'waiting years' for health checks in town

Former NHS nurse, Maria Armstrong-Jones, says delays are detrimental to health

A health charity said some people were waiting up to two years to return to work due to treatment delays.

Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex was described by one of its directors as being "at the end of its life".

Plans for a replacement by 2030 have been put forward by the government but Maria Armstrong-Jones from Harlow Occupational Health Services said people were increasingly seeking medical advice elsewhere.

The hospital said staff "make every effort" to ensure our patients undergo operations at the earliest opportunity.

Mrs Maria Armstrong-Jones, a former NHS nurse, said her charity's three doctors were seeing about eight patients each per day, with some needing surgery or presenting with mental health conditions.

She said: "We’re finding a lot more people are coming through our door because the health service can’t facilitate their needs and people are on waiting lists for a very long time.

"They feel very frustrated, very nervous, and anxious that they’d perhaps lose their jobs if there was a long-term absence in front of them.

"Some have been out for a couple of years. It has a big impact on their homes, families and mental health. It may have started as a physical ailment and now it’s become really detrimental."

Cafe owner Hazel Gorur went abroad for treatment

Hazel Gorur, 53, who runs the Hazel Kitchen Cafe in the town, flew to Turkey for treatment after a stroke.

She said: "I tried for days, but I couldn’t actually get an appointment with my GP, so my family had to fly back and help me get to Istanbul as I live on my own and I couldn’t walk."

The current Princess Alexandra Hospital has faced a series of problems, with 40 sewage leaks reported in 2022, while a ceiling caved in above an intensive care patient in March.

Last month, the hospital's director of strategy Michael Meredith said a proposed opening date of 2030 for its replacement might "slip" to 2032.

Chief operating officer Stephanie Lawton said: "As with all hospitals, we have seen a considerable increase in the demand for our services.

"We make every effort to ensure that our patients undergo their elective, non-urgent operations at the earliest opportunity, while also attending to our patients who are admitted to our hospital as an emergency."

Harlow's general election candidates

Harlow is to get a new MP in the general election on 4 June as Conservative Robert Halfon, first elected in 2010, said he would not be standing.

Hannah Ellis, the Conservative Party candidate, said: "We really need the new hospital to be built and delivered."

Malcolm Featherstone is standing for the Reform UK party and has not responded to the BBC’s request for comment.

Yasmin Gregory, the Green Party candidate, said the current hospital was "not fit for purpose" and called for more money for NHS staff.

The Liberal Democrat candidate, Riad Mannan, said he would "push" whichever government was in power to deliver the new hospital.

Chris Vince, the Labour candidate, said: "I’m delighted the Labour Party have committed to a new hospital for Harlow."