THREE hospital trusts will today decide whether or not to progress with a merger which they believe will save the NHS £214million and cut emergency admissions.

The trust boards of Basildon, Southend and Broomfield Hospitals will consider the benefits of the three organisations working as one in the future for the 1,175,000 patients in the area.

The trusts have been working closely since 2016, but the decision would see them working as one.

At the meeting the three boards will separately decide whether or not to accept the recommendations and start moving towards the long-mooted merger, as suggested by NHS England.

The organisation believes there would be a number of benefits to patients if this went ahead.

These include a more “joined up” approach to health and care services to allow more care for people at home and in the community, avoiding the need for a visit to hospital.

Patients with chronic conditions such as heart problems, for example, will be monitored at home by specialists who will regularly assess their condition before deciding whether they need to be admitted to hospital.

NHS England confirmed plans for more shared services between the three hospitals were aimed at reducing the duplication of administration and IT services.

Clare Panniker, chief executive of the three trusts said: “A number of options on the way we work together in the longer term have been tested in a rigorous appraisal process carried out by members of the three boards, individual site leadership teams, governors/patient council representatives.

“The recommended option now is to work as one organisation and for our trusts to work towards becoming a single organisation starting on April 1, 2019.

“If the boards of each trust approve the recommended option, the next step will be to produce a strategic business case to set out what needs to be done to seek the formal approval of our regulators, our councils of governors and presents the opportunity to engage more widely with our stakeholders and local community.”