SOUTHEND Hospital has denied claims its A&E will close at 10pm under radical plans to streamline emergency healthcare.

Mike Fieldhouse, Labour spokesman for Prittlewell ward, has warned under the Mid and South Essex Success Regime plans, Southend A&E could shut at 10pm each night.

Under the plans currently being considered by the regime, two of the region’s three hospitals are set to be downgraded with just one left as a 24/7 blue light, specialist emergency department.

Speaking on his website, Mr Fieldhouse said: “Looking at the range of options offered within the latest report, there will inevitably only be one, hospital providing specialist emergency care out of Southend, Basildon and Chelmsford hospitals. The other two hospitals will be downgraded, providing only basic emergency care. This means patients in need of complicated emergency treatment having to be taken many miles across Essex’s often very congested roads for highly time-critical life-saving treatment.”

Southend Hospital yesterday refuted the claims.

Dr Ronan Fenton, joint medical director for the Success Regime, speaking on behalf of the three trusts, said: “Under the proposals our clinical teams have been developing there would continue to be a 24-hour A&E in all three hospitals for the majority of patients in mid and south Essex.

“These are not just simple minor injuries units but have the back-up of a frailty unit, a children’s unit and a surgical assessment unit, to manage and care for the majority of health issues that people come to A&E for.”

Dr Fenton added: “For the most serious and life-threatening cases, national evidence tells us that we could save more lives with a specialist emergency hospital for “blue light” emergencies. We already see this with the Essex Cardiothoracic Centre in Basildon. For example, anyone suffering an acute heart attack goes not to their most local hospital but directly by ambulance to Basildon, where they are seen immediately by top specialists working round the clock.

“Life-saving emergency care is time critical, but a centralised team can start their care long before the patient arrives."