Conservative MP James Duddridge is firmly behind NHS plans to have specialist services in different south Essex hospitals, despite criticism from campaigners.

Clinical Commissioning Groups working under the Mid and South Essex Success Regime plan are proposing a range of specialities at particular hospitals.

A hyper-acute stroke unit is planned at one of the hospitals even though Basildon, Southend and Broomfield hospitals will keep their own stroke units.

The plans are aimed at filling a £90million a year black-hole in funding and Mr Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, said: “We must ensure that our residents get the best possible health outcome and if that means making structural changes to the stroke service then that is what must be done.

“I want to reassure my constituents that my priority is and will always be to ensure that any proposed solution guarantees their safety and welfare.

“I will not endorse anything that is detrimental to the wellbeing of patients.”

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Sir David Amess, Conservative MP for Southend West, added: “In terms of funding for the health service, it has been increased in real terms every year and will continue to be so.

“Just as with the A&E reconfiguration of services, which I was totally opposed to, there is to be a public consultation launched on this issue.

“I urge all local residents to ask detailed questions about the proposed changes and then make their own representations.”

But speaking on behalf of the campaign group, now called Save Our NHS Southend, Sam Green, prospective Labour candidate for the parliamentary seat in Rochford and Southend East said: “The idea of shipping suffering patients here, there and just about everywhere across south Essex illustrates why Southend needs Labour MPs and Britain needs a Labour government.

“The shortfall and the breaking up of local services is the consequence of a lack of commitment from the Government to properly fund our health service.

“If the Tories cannot handle the task of providing the health service with the funding it needs, then they should step aside and let Labour implement the commitments set out in the 2017 manifesto. That’s what should happen.”

Plans to have a specialist emergency centre at Basildon were halted following a major campaign by the Save Southend A&E group.