The future of St Peter's Hospital in Maldon will be announced by July this year.

Many of the Maldon hospital's services have already been relocated, but plans last year to close the hospital completely were met with significant local opposition.

The Mid and South Essex integrated care board (ICB), which is reviewing St Peter's future, will meet tomorrow (May 15) to discuss recommendations published by a working group established in March.

Health care bosses proposed closing St Peter's Hospital in the town and relocating stroke hospital beds and maternity services to other sites in Essex.

The working group led by chairman James Halden has now made several recommendations, including investing in keeping St Peter's Hospital operational for approximately five years while capital funding is assembled for a purpose-built new facility, ideally on part of the current site.

He also insists NHS bosses should preserve the approximately 14,000 pre- and post-natal appointments that currently take place at St Peter's each year while maintaining midwife-led births at Braintree Community Hospital.

It said that in the near term, services should be retained at the St Peter's Hospital site while a future location for services is identified.

Regarding the estate's future, the working group proposed creating a new facility for ambulance services in Maldon. Given the challenges surrounding space for GP services in Maldon, the potential option of co-locating these services alongside GP services was also considered.

Regarding intermediate care and stroke rehabilitation, modelling has suggested that Maldon would only require up to four intermediate care and two stroke rehabilitation beds.

Considering this, the review concluded that the costs of a specialist unit could not be justified.

But the working group recommended that the existing 'home first' activities be accelerated for stroke rehabilitation.

The working group recommended that the midwife-led birthing unit at St Peter's be closed and permanently relocated to the William Julien Courtauld Birthing Unit in Braintree. However, the group suggested that the NHS take specific actions to promote, maintain, develop, and monitor home birthing services to ensure that people are aware of this option and can make the best choice for them.

The ICB is asked to "acknowledge that the findings will inform the development of the final Decision Making Business Case (DMBC), which will be brought to the Board for formal consideration and approval by July 2025".

A report to the board notes "that no decisions are being sought at this stage", and that the "board will be asked to make its determinations once it has received and reviewed the full DMBC in due course."

Upon submitting the report, working group chairman James Halden said: "There was a strong feeling that the original proposals had not sufficiently explored the range of options with the community or staff.

"In respect to Maldon, the proposals to move services into an array of buildings would have been expensive, hard to manage, and inconvenient for local residents."

He added: "So, for over 95 per cent of all activity, the only change will be to a modern and upgraded facility, at the correct time."

The original plans to close St Peter's Hospital sparked fury among campaigners who insist keeping it open will have "massive benefits."

Recommendations to keep healthcare services in Maldon have been welcomed.

The recommendation report added: "The original consultation was far too hasty in suggesting that St Peter's close with utterly inadequate plans as to how services would be managed after being separated into unspecific and likely unstable temporary arrangements.

"The recommendations suggest rapid investment and support into St Peter's to keep all outpatient services at the hospital over, roughly, the next five years. The lack of financial planning for a new hub by the ICB during the consultation was a grave error."