THE NHS in north Essex faces a funding gap of up to £70million in the next five years and must adapt quickly.

The population is set to grow by 43,000 and North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group does not expect any extra Government funding.

The group, which commissions the majority of health services in the area, expects the number of people using A&E services to increase by a third, to about 88,000 a year, in the next decade if changes are not made.

It has outlined its plans to limit the number of people who do not have serious injuries using A&E and it wants the public’s views.

Themain plan put forward is to convert Colchester’s walk-in centre into an “urgent care unit”.

That means anyone not arriving in an ambulance will have to go first to the urgent care unit.

Doctors will assess whether a patient needs emergency care or could be treated elsewhere, hopefully easing the burden on A&E.

Dr Hasan Chowhan, who is leading the A&E crisis plans, said: “We are trying to make the system simpler.

“At the moment, we are being told the system is complicated for people to understand and navigate.

“A&E and primary care is under a whole heap of pressure and some of that is down to patients who patients who can have their conditions managed elsewhere.

“Our main aim is to address the front door of A&E.

“A&E should be for life-threatening conditions but, for whatever reason people do come to A&E who might be more appropriate to use an urgent care centre.”

Dr Chowhan added the biggest increase in people attending A&E was in the 19 to 39 category and overall between 10 and 33 per cent of people who attended A&E did not need to be there.

Dr Chowhan said: “If you take it at its worst, having 33 per cent of people attending who don’t need to – that’s not really sustainable.

“These are mobile people, who are walking into A&E and a large number of them are presenting with minor conditions.

“If we are able to reduce these people, it will take the impact away from A&E.”

At the moment, ill patients in north east Essex have the choice of going to the walk-in centres, minor injuries units and A&E.

  • The public can give their views on the planned changes atameeting se to take place next Tuesday, November 25.

It will take place at Arena Leisure Centre, in Napier Road, Colchester, between 10am and 4pm.

To book a place, call 01206 286 500 or e-mail neeccg.haveyoursay@ nhs.net.