A HEALTH leader warned patients could have to go to Cambridge, Norfolk, or London for treatment if work does not progress on moving services between two hospitals.

It was revealed earlier this month a number of services may move from Colchester Hospital to its Ipswich counterpart.

The two hospitals merged to become part of the East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation NHS Trust last year.

The trust has been carrying out an in-depth review of services in both hospitals and has said it is considering “centralising some services” where it would be better for patients.

Shane Gordon, director of clinical integration, told an Essex County Council committee it was vital the trust looked at consolidating its services.

He said: “There will be some services where we need to do further consolidation to ensure we can maintain the quality of those services and maintain the skilled staff.

“The alternative is we give up providing those services and they go off to an even more distant site in Cambridge or London or in Norfolk.”

It was confirmed 24/7 emergency departments, 24-hour emergency admissions and maternity services would remain at both hospital sites.

But some services would be moved if there was evidence to support it.

Dr Gordon said: “We think that is absolutely right services continue at both hospital sites where there are large volumes of patients receiving that service and therefore there is no argument which can be made for busing thousands of people up and down the A12 each year to receive relatively routine care.

“Also where services are relatively straight forwar, so outpatient based services for example, there is no argument I think for moving outpatient based services to different locations than they are currently, unless that is closer to where people live in community locations.”

The trust is in the process of preparing the strategy to go before the public and hopes to complete this by the end of the month.