Residents have taken to the streets of Maldon in a bid to save a 150-year-old community hospital and prevent vital services from being relocated elsewhere in the county.

St Peter's Hospital in Maldon, a former Victorian workhouse built during the 1870s, was deemed by NHS professionals last month as not "fit for purpose" as a result of extensive water damage and compromised integrity of its floors and ceilings.

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) has previously estimated that the necessary renovations and repair works would cost approximately £18.7 million, an amount stated in its report as "more than is available".

On Saturday, March 2, members of the action group 'Save Maldon's Medical Services' took to the streets of the town to campaign for awareness and greater local involvement in the public consultation regarding the future of the hospital and its services, which closes on March 21.

They erected a marquee outside All Saints Church on the High Street, and attached colourful arrows to fencing which detailed the loss of services to other areas if the proposal is decided.

They also handed out leaflets, encouraging the community to get involved in the survey and consultation.

"I think the communication has been poor." - Demonstrator, Les Flack

Speaking to the BBC, campaigner Michelle Olley said of relocating other departments offering routine services and procedures such as blood tests and X-rays: "If you remove those services, they're going to be moving (service users) out to Braintree and down to Rochford and Brentwood; the distances they're going to have to travel are well over an hour."

Fellow demonstrator Les Flack, whose wife relies on the services at St Peter's to manage her COPD, is concerned that poor communications from the ICB, the Mid and South Essex NHS Trust and other stakeholders have left many members of the public unaware that their health provision is under threat.

Speaking to LDRS, he said: "I think the communication has been poor for such a major issue potentially affecting every resident.

"An eight-week consultation for an issue that has been bandied about for 30 years is just not fair to the public. It takes time for people to realise what's at stake and come together to raise concerns or oppose.

"My issue with the ICB meetings is that the other stakeholders are not there. They are ticketed events, meaning you can't just turn up, and you need to register to speak which is an obstacle to many who may want to do so."

Last year, St Peter's stroke rehabilitation unit was temporarily relocated to Braintree Community Hospital in a move which the regional NHS trust intends to make permanent. In addition, the hospital's birthing unit was moved to Braintree – almost 16 miles away – in August 2023 due to concerns over safety and staffing levels.

Conservative MP for Maldon Sir John Whittingdale also spoke to the BBC during the March 2 demonstration and maintained that keeping services local should take precedence over saving the hospital building.

He said: "[The government has] been talking about a new hospital for many years. I deeply regret it hasn't happened but maybe this is an opportunity to actually get that new provision in the town."

The ICB said that proposals concerning the future of St Peter's Hospital "set out a clear commitment" to ensure provisions for services such as blood testing and the majority of outpatient appointments remain in Maldon. 

However, its medical director Dr Matthew Sweeting has previously said that "staff battle on a daily basis" to deliver a high standard of care with the building in its dilapidated condition.

Edited by Chloe Brewster