PARAMEDICS will be unable to cope with a radical overhaul of A&E services unless money is ploughed into new recruits, a union has warned.

The Mid and South Essex Success Regime plans to downgrade two of the area’s three A&Es – at Basildon, Southend or Broomfield, in Chelmsford – and create one 24/7 blue light emergency centre at the remaining hospital.

It is widely believed that Basildon, which already has a cardiothoracic centre, will be the main emergency hospital – sparking fears that critically ill patients in Southend will face journeys on the often gridlocked A127 or A13.

Sam Older, Unison regional organiser, who works at Basildon Hospital, said paramedics are already overstretched - with the NHS overhaul set to put even more pressure on them.

He told the Echo the plan will only work if more funding is made available for the ambulance service - something which has so far not been set out in plans.

Mr Older said: “Our members are already doing more hours than they meant to be doing. If there is an emergency patient in Southend and they are taken to Basildon, one of the options for the emergency centre, they will travel further than they do now. They will also have to be brought back to Southend Hospital after their emergency treatment. That’s an extra journey for patients and more work for ambulance crews.

“If there is going to be investment for additional employees it could work, but that’s not part of any plan that I’ve seen.”

Ambulance service bosses appear more confident, insisting staff already have experience taking heart attack patients straight to Basildon’s cardiothoracic centre and arranging for critical patients to be airlifted to specialist hospitals.

An ambulance service spokesman said: “The trust is fully involved in the success regime and proposals will have detailed modelling to understand the impact on the ambulance service and wider system.

“The trust already takes certain patients to specialist centres of excellence, so is experienced at planning and implementing such changes.”

Dr Ronan Fenton, joint medical director of the Mid and South Essex Success Regime said: “The concept of the specialist emergency centre is to have people at the door 24/7. That’s not what happens now. Staff will be able to see people quickly and the queues of ambulances we see now will end.

“Seriously ill patients can have all their needs taken care of by specialist staff before being repatriated home or to a community provision. This will speed up the flow of patients and ambulances can be back on the road quickly.

“The increase of transportation between hospitals and the need for staff travel are issues we are looking at.”