After an investigation by Maldon Nub News, the district council has rushed to amend a document which originally stated St Peter's Hospital would be closing.

The mistake was spotted in a document outlining Maldon District Council's objections to increased housing targets for the district, which raised the issue of "lagging" local infrastructure.

The document originally said: "Our doctors' surgeries are operating at/ overcapacity, transport investment is behind growth, our education system is nearing capacity.

"Our local NHS hospital is going to close with no NHS plan in place to bring forward either a dispersal of the services within the district or a new hospital.

"How are we supposed to plan to meet [the updated housing target] when public service investment is unlikely to follow?"

This has since been amended after Maldon Nub News queried the use of "going to close" with the NHS Trust.

The error has been highlighted in an addendum to councillors released today (September 11), with the correction: "Our local NHS hospital is threatened with closure."

This all comes less than a month before an extraordinary Mid and South Essex ICS meeting to discuss the decision of the outcome of the Community Hospital Capacity Consultation which threatens the close St Peter's Hospital.

Over 5,000 residents responded to the consultation, with 92% of respondents describing the removal of the community hospital in Maldon as a "bad or very bad" idea

The Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board maintains the decision on the outcome of St Peter's Hospital will be made at the September 30 meeting, and has therefore not yet been made. 

This meeting will be held in public, to register to attend visit the NHS Mid and South Essex website.

The meeting will also be live-streamed. The link to join the live stream is available here.