MEMBERS of the public are being invited to talk to NHS bosses about proposals to move some services provided at community hospitals in mid and south Essex.
A public consultation is ongoing until March 21.
Individuals, organisations and groups can participate in a public consultation hearing at Maldon Town Hall.
They will have the chance to present their views to a panel of NHS experts on March 19.
It will also be broadcast live on YouTube and chaired by an independent organisation.
Dr Matthew Sweeting, interim medical director for NHS Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board, said: “These are not easy decisions to make and we want to have as much information as possible and make sure we’ve explored all the possibilities.”
The hearing is designed to give individuals, organisations and groups the chance to say what they think is important for the NHS to take into consideration about the consultation.
Dr Sweeting said: “The hearing format means we can listen carefully and ask questions about what presenters are telling us so we can really understand the points being made.
“This way we can take everything we are being told into account when making our decisions at the end of the consultation process.”
The proposals under consideration are potential changes to the places where some community hospital intermediate care and stroke rehabilitation services are provided.
They include making permanent the temporary move of the freestanding midwife-led birthing unit from St Peter’s Hospital, in Maldon, to the William Julien Courtauld Unit at St Michael’s, Braintree.
There is the possibility of moving all other patient services out of St Peter’s to other locations, mostly in and around Maldon.
The public consultation hearing will take place between 12.30pm and 7.45pm.
Those taking part in the hearing will be offered a 30-minute slot, with 15 minutes to present their evidence and a further 15 minutes for the panel to ask questions.
Anyone interested in taking part should email PublicConsultationHearing@wearestand.co.uk to find out more.
They will be asked to provide information about their request such as name, organisation, accessibility requirements and a brief description of the evidence/topic being covered by 9am on Monday, March 4.
Presenter slots for the hearing will be confirmed by March 6.
All feedback will be independently analysed and provided in a draft report which will be publicly shared before being presented to the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board.
People can attend the public consultation hearing to observe the evidence being presented and or watch live online.
To attend in person, residents can register on Eventbrite: PublicConsultationHearing19March.eventbrite.co.uk.
Find out more about the consultation, proposals and all of the ways residents can have their say on the NHS Mid and South Essex Virtual Views website.
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