COLCHESTER could lose its planned £24million cancer centre.

Health bosses want to centralise county cancer services in Colchester and Southend. But a High Court judicial review will now be held after complaints from campaigners in mid-Essex, who want Chelmsford’s Broomfield Hospital to have similar facilities.

Campaigners claim NHS North East Essex failed to properly consider the impact of patients travelling to Colchester for treatment.

Patients’ spokesman Alison Tibbatts, 44, said: “We don’t want to deprive Colchester. We recognise it has beds at Essex County Hospital, Colchester, coming towards the end of their useful life and it wants a move.

“But the journey from Chelmsford can take three hours in traffic. It is stressful, frightening and, I believe, an uncessary trauma. I don’t see why mid-Essex patients should be discriminated against.

“A 92-year-old lady in Burnham, who needs radiotherapy, leaves between 7am and 9am to go on the bus and doesn’t get home before 7pm – that’s unfair.”

Nick Chatten, estates director for Colchester’s hospital trust, said: “We had been making very good progress in planning. Any delay is a frustration, but there is a process to go through and we need to wait for that to be resolved.”

NHS North Essex chief executive Sheila Bremne said: “The four primary care trusts involved in the Essex Cancer Network decided earlier this year to expand radiotherapy at Colchester and Southend.

“This is about planning to meet future needs of patients. There is no doubt there would be access benefits for some people if they could have radiotherapy at Broomfield Hospital, rather than travelling to Colchester, as they do now.

“We listened to many views before making the decision. We believe the best way to improve clinical outcomes and quality of care is to expand existing centres. This would improve our ability to attract the specialists needed and stay up-to-date with radiotherapy techniques.’’ The hearing is due to take place in January.