Our local hospitals have been granted foundation trust status.

Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust, which runs the hospitals in Clacton, Harwich and Colchester, made the announcement today and unveiled its new name - Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust.

Bosses have promised the new trust will be more in tune to the needs of the public, led by its decision-making members' council. This will be chosen from a pool of 2,500 volunteers from all walks of life, recruited through a series of roadshows.

The biggest change is that any surplus of money at the end of the financial year no longer has to be paid back to the Government - instead it can be used by the trust to improve services locally.

Chief executive Peter Murphy said: "Becoming an NHS Foundation Trust is the beginning of a journey as we are now better enabled to serve the people of north east Essex.

"While we now have the word Colchester' in our new name we will continue to focus on what we can deliver for all of the people of north east Essex which is why our new strapline is serving the people of north east Essex'.

"For us, this is about improved local healthcare services, not just the quality of the care but the whole patient experience when people enter the healthcare system."

The word university' has also appeared in the name because the trust is hoping to use its education programmes to get associate university status.