LONG-RUNNING problems at a troubled hospital are set to be resolved - but some maternity and in-patient services will close while work takes place.

About one sixth of the flooring at the multi-million pound Fryatt Hospital and the Mayflower Medical Centre, in Main Road, Dovercourt, needs to be replaced after it began bubbling up while the hospital was being built in 2005.

Since then, full services have not been operational at the hospital, and many residents and community leaders have said they feel let down.

Now it is hoped that the essential work, due to begin by the end of June, will mean a full service can be provided at the £12.5 million hospital.

North East Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT) today pledged to keep disruption to a minimum while work is taking place, A spokesman for the PCT said: "Logistically, this is a challenging project and we are working to keep disruption to patients and services to an absolute minimum.

"We will be phasing it in such a way that the only services which will have to close temporarily will be the 21-bed inpatient ward and the maternity unit."

Steven Henderson, leader of Harwich Town Council, said he had "no confidence" in the PCT and was concerned about further disruption to patients.

He said: "The whole thing has just been an utter waste of taxpayers' money and the PCT ought to be ashamed of themselves."

With regards to the essential repair work taking place on the floor, Mr Henderson said: "

The Trust has said that the inpatient ward, which is used by rehabilitation patients, will not be closed for more than four weeks, probably from June.

Its temporary closure will be managed by providing alternative services to individual patients according to their needs.

The four-week period will include time spent deep cleaning the ward after the flooring issue has been resolved.