Health chiefs plan to sell off a Chelmsford town centre site as part of £1.6 million move to base all its services at Broomfield Hospital.

Under plans by Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust a new mortuary will be built at the hospital.

All pathology and microbiology services will be based in modern facilities at Broomfield and the current New Writtle Street - five miles from the hospital - could fetch up to £450,000.

The redundant incinerator at Broomfield Hospital will be redeveloped and a next door building will be converted into an up-to-date public mortuary and post-mortem facility.

Essex County Council have been approached to help fund the new public mortuary and the Government will meet he cost of the relocation and redevelopment.

The Trust wants to provide all its inpatient and specialist diagnostic services at Broomfield by the end of next year.

The proposals - in the form of a full business plan - were supported by North Essex Health Authority at a meeting last week.

It means better working conditions for laboratory staff and aims to centralise and improve services. It will ensure laboratory accreditation and recognition of junior doctor training at Broomfield.

A spokeswoman for Mid-Essex Hospital Services Trust said: "We are very pleased to have gained the support of North Essex Health Authority.

"This is part of the trust's strategy to move acute services to the Broomfield site," she added.

Gayle Pascoe, director of service development at North Essex Health authority said: "It's going to be a lot better for the patient services and for everyone including staff to move services to the Broomfield site."

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