NHS bosses have assured patients A&E services will not be harmed by proposed changes.

Plans by the Mid and South Essex Success Regime could see just one of three hospitals having a full 24-hour emergency service.

This could be at either Basildon, Southend or Broomfield hospitals.

The two remaining hospitals could have their services scaled back. Responding to residents’ concerns, top doctors at the hospitals assured there were no plans to close the A&E services completely.

They said separating the major emergency work in this way creates more space for planned surgery.

This opens up the possibility of new centres of excellence across the hospital group in both planned and emergency care.

New centres of excellence for surgery and other treatments could reduce waiting times.

Dr Ronan Fenton, medical director of the Mid and South Essex Success Regime and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust, said: “It does mean some ambulance journeys could be longer in some cases, but the journey to getting the best specialist care in a life-threatening situation is not all about the ambulance transfer.

“It is also about fast access to specialist tests and treatment.

“People with serious injuries go by ambulance to London or Cambridge, people with serious burns go by ambulance to Broomfield in Chelmsford and people suffering an acute heart attack go by ambulance to the cardiothoracic centre in Basildon.

“Now that the three hospitals are working together as a group, we have the best chance we’ve ever had to reduce waiting times, improve care and save more lives with potentially some of the best hospital services in the country.”