SCORES of campaigners packed out a meeting to discuss the latest plans to shake up health care in south Essex.

Save Our NHS Southend held a public meeting at the Royal British Legion in Westcliff, to discuss the plans, which one clinician described as one of “the most dangerous things” she has seen in her career.

The meeting featured guest speakers who addressed the crowd after plans were revealed which would see Southend, Basildon and Broomfield remain as local hospitals.

But they would also become specialist care centres which means a small number of patients may be transferred if they need additional highly specialised care or treatment.

For cardiology and stroke patients this would be at Basildon, general surgical would be at Broomfield in Chelmsford and cancer patients would go to Southend.

Dr Caroline Howard, lead consultant at Southend A&E, spoke at the meeting to offer a clinician’s view on the plans.

She said: “They are proposing that patients who suffer with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and are on breathing machines are transferred from A&E to Basildon.

“This is the most dangerous thing I have heard about in my life.

“They are proposing putting them in the back of an ambulance. To even do this, you would need a respiratory trained nurse or doctor.

“Who will do all this transport?”

Committee member Katie Sheehan said: “Up to 50 patients a day could be moved between Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals.

“Our campaign is not against change but wants to ensure that the lead clinicians at our hospital have been consulted on all changes to clinical care pathways.

“Sadly because of what we perceive as an ongoing lack of transparency by the Mid and South Essex STP team, we remain highly sceptical that the significant changes to the service provision at Southend Hospital are truly patient focused and not just purely to achieve financial savings.”

The campaign group gained national attention after it played a major role in the reversal of the decision to downgrade Southend Hospital’s A&E department.

Now, the group’s committee is hoping to refocus their efforts on ensuring the community gets the best out of the controversial plans from the Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.

NHS bosses stress the aim of the plans is to best use each hospital’s staff and resources.

Patients would first go by ambulance to the nearest hospital, then those with “the most complex needs” would transfer to one of the specialist centres that was appropriate.