Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages of the Dengie Peninsula will all be included in a new six-month 'virtual ward' pilot scheme aimed at minimising hospital stays.

The use of virtual wards - where patients are treated at home with remote access to doctors, nurses and other specialists - was used at the height of the pandemic in Essex to make sure the most critically ill patients were prioritised in hospitals.

It is hoped the pilot scheme - being trialled in the mid Essex area with patients recovering from a hospital stay - will also mean patients suffer less exposure to potential Covid-19 contamination and have the benefit of enabling family members to be with them in the comfort of their own homes.

Launching on 17 May, the project will use the care service delivered by Provide Community Interest Company (CIC), a staff-owned social enterprise company which works out of St Peter's Hospital in Maldon, Braintree Community Hospital and Halstead Hospital, as well as from community clinics and in people's homes.

Stephanie Dawes, Chief Nurse at Provide CIC explains: "The virtual ward helps us to ensure a safe pathway home for our patients who need additional support.

"We know from what patients tell us they prefer to recover in their own bed with loved ones near, as long as they can feel safe and cared for. And evidence suggests patients are likely to have a faster recovery in a place that is familiar to them.

"With the virtual ward our patients can feel safe and secure knowing they are being monitored by a team of professionals."