Covid-19 super-hub 'could hit intensive care'

Concerns have been expressed over the creation of a central unit to treat Covid-19 patients in Essex

The creation of a new Covid-19 "super hub" could lead to cuts in local intensive care treatment, a patient care group has warned.

Save Southend NHS said the centralisation of coronavirus care in Basildon, Essex, would also mean longer travel times for some patients.

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust said its 26-bed specialist unit at Basildon would allow it to better cope with any Covid-19 surge.

It denied cutting local services.

"None of the 14 (intensive care) ITU and HDU (higher dependency) beds at Southend will be lost as a result of this change," said the trust in a statement.

No loss of 24-hour care

But it said "numbers available may decrease by one or two beds if there is a Covid surge", with staff pulled to work at the specialist critical care centre.

The trust also said there would be no loss of 24-hour emergency care at Basildon, Broomfield or Southend hospitals.

But the campaign group claimed Southend hospital was being "downgraded by stealth".

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Save Southend NHS said: "Shamefully, the recently merged Mid and South Essex Hospital group are using the cover of the COVID-19 crisis to further these unpopular and unsafe changes at Southend Hospital, sneaking them in through the back door."

The trust said the centralised care of Covid-19 patients from July would allow it to better care for both patients and staff.

Patient backlog

"Crucially, it will release critical care availability across all three sites for surgical, cancer and cardiovascular patients who may have had their treatment delayed because of the pandemic," it said.

The NHS across England is facing a backlog of patients requiring treatment as a consequence of dealing with the coronavirus.

Health union Unsion said it was urgently seeking talks with the trust before any changes were made.

Eastern regional officer Sam Older said staff and people across the county needed "reassurance that these changes won't permanently reduce ICU capacity" in Essex.