CANCELLED operations and lack of spare beds at our hospitals are fuelling fears of a winter crisis in south Essex.

Hospital bosses are promising to do all they can to avert any problems and told the Echo how plans were now in place to meet demands - including diverting clinical staff from operations to assess and review A&E patients instead.

Neil Rothnie, medical director at Southend Hospital, said: “We were planning before Christmas to reduce the number of operations carried out in the first weeks of January, and are now evaluating how many we will need to delay in the next few weeks.

“This will help us redeploy clinical staff and concentrate all efforts on reviewing our inpatients, safely discharging those patients who are medically fit and assessing and treating patients who require admission to hospital.

“We are following national guidelines and delaying some operations, procedures and outpatient appointments. Urgent and cancer operations and procedures will proceed as planned and senior clinicians will review these daily.

“We will contact every patient affected by the cancellations, so would advise patients that if they do not hear from us they should attend their scheduled appointments as planned.”

Basildon Hospital has had to postpone about 120 operations this month already. A spokesman said: “We are following national guidelines too and postponing some operations, on average four patients per day. Day case, urgent and cancer operations will proceed as planned.

“We will try to minimise disruption and inconvenience for patients who are waiting for non-urgent treatment and will keep them informed about any delays that may affect them.”

Over the festive period, Basildon and Southend Hospitals experienced long delays in ambulances delivering patients to A&E departments which were at breaking point.

The mounting pressure meant that Basildon Hospital was identified as one of 12 in the country which reported 100 per cent occupancy on New Year’s Day.

The recommended safe level for occupied beds is 85 per cent.

Mike Fieldhouse, secretary for Save Southend A&E Campaign, is very concerned and fearful about the winter ahead.

He said: “Unfortunately, once the pressures on A&E are so severe, there are real dangers that mistakes are going to be made and that patients will not receive the optimal care.

“I hope the potentially devastating consequences of this do not materialise in Southend and pray that no-one’s health is severely adversely affected.”