Critics have hit back at the county's top health boss after south Essex health services were forced to hand over millions of pounds.

Neil McKay, the newly-appointed chief executive of the east of England Strategic Health Authority, reassured patients services would not suffer.

£27.3million of loans from south Essex health services has been used to bail out debt-ridden departments in other counties.

But Billericay MP John Baron, Shadow minister for health, claims the money lent from south Essex Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) means patients will suffer.

Mr Baron said: "The bottom line is Basildon district is being penalised for deficits in another parts of the country.

"Money is going to be taken away and services will suffer."

Mr McKay claimed he had a responsibility to balance the books and bail out other areas in Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.

But admitted he did not know when the cash would be repaid.

John Holdcroft, Southend councillor for community services and health, said: "It's extremely unsatisfying that the South East Essex Primary Care Trust is being prejudiced against, as a result of efficient and capable management of its resources.

"Money which should have been spent on health matters in this part of the county is now being taken away, with no guarantees of if, or when, that money will be repaid.

"There's no point having a vision for future healthcare, if you can't ensure the funds are there to deliver it."

Mr McKay claims there is a "really good chance" the PCTs will get their money back, if the Strategic health authority meets it's financial targets for this time next year.

He said: "Even after the loans have been made, the south Essex PCTs have significant extra money coming in. It's not like we've taken the money and left them with nothing.

"It just means they may have to defer some things."

He went on to describe his vision for the future of healthcare, with community hospitals and surgeries housing services like X-rays and blood tests, to free up waiting lists at general hospitals.

Mr McKay, who has worked his way through the NHS ranks over the past 30 years, said: "I want services in Essex to be better than they are now. I want to make the service more responsive to individual people's needs. I would like to see them renowned as the best in the country.

"I want a health service where waiting is a thing of the past and I want patients to be confident when they go into hospital that the outcome will be good."

He said patients' forums were an important way of ensuring quality services are delivered.

He said: "The NHS hasn't done a good job of explaining itself - I expect organisations to take patient involvement far more seriously.

"People don't want to be told after the event, they want to contribute to the thinking."