The health watchdog group, Mid Essex Community Health Council, which was due to be abolished in September, has been given a reprieve until the beginning of December.
The CHC, along with others around the country, is being axed as part of the government's NHS Plan and is being replaced with several other organisations.
Staff at Mid Essex CHC were told last week about the reprieve and have pledged to carry on working until the new deadline to represent the interests of patients.
Linda Tubb, acting chief officer of Mid Essex CHC, said that the reason given for the reprieve was that the new patients and public involvement systems would not have been in place in time to take over in September.
Simon Burns, MP for West Chelmsford and a former health minister said that the government's U-turn was too late.
He said, "When this legislation was going through parliament I warned the government that not only was it wrong to abolish CHCs but that if they were going to abolish them they should not do so until their replacement Patients Forums were in place and ready to start work.
"As all the new Patient Forums would not be ready to work until December 31 I highlighted to the government that there would be a four month hiatus in the service.
"The government has now accepted the argument and postponed the abolishment to December 1, but the damage has already been done."
Published Tuesday, June 10, 2003
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