A public campaign to halt the closure of three wards at Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford, has been launched -- amid fears that losing 84 beds will have a long-term effect on Health care in mid Essex.

The campaign is led by Chelmsford and District Trades Council, which is organising a petition in protest against the closures.

The trades council announced the start of the campaign on Thursday, to coincide with a public meeting about the ward closures held in Chelmsford by the health watchdog group Mid Essex Community Health Council (CHC.)

Mid Essex Hospitals Trust revealed the proposals in June, saying that savings had to be made and that patients who no longer needed hospital care, but whose discharge had been delayed, could be placed in more appropriate settings in the community.

Trades council chairman Andrew Coburn said: "We have launched this campaign to defend the interests of our community, given the major increase in population that will take place over the next five years.

"We simply cannot afford to lose any acute hospital beds in mid Essex.

"The trades council will do all in its power to get the hospitals trust to reverse its decision. I am convinced that our community will give their overwhelming support to this campaign."

During the packed meeting at St John's Hospital, Chelmsford, hospital staff, trade union representatives and members of the public questioned health chiefs over the necessity of closing the beds.

Staff expressed anger over being presented with what they considered a fait accompli, saying that the decision to close the wards had been taken before consultation was carried out.

Concerned members of the public also voiced fears about how social services, already under strain, would cope with the extra patients -- mostly elderly people -- being discharged into the community.

West Chelmsford MP Simon Burns, who attended the meeting, said afterwards: "I suspect every member of the audience was opposed to the plans to close the wards, and I am sure that will not have escaped the notice of the CHC.

"I trust that the CHC will decide to oppose these ward closures on behalf of the people of Chelmsford and mid Essex so that we can take the fight to ministers at the Department of Health. Chelmsford does not want these closures."

People who would like to express views about the closures can write to Norma O'Hara, chief officer, Mid Essex Community Health Council, 4-5 New Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1NT. The deadline for the consultation is August 17.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.