Hospital closure forces patients elsewhere

5:09pm Thursday 8th May 2008

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Deep cleaning will force a hospital to close for a week.

Since April 28, certain patients, who had hoped to go to Halstead Hospital, were transferred to St Peter's Hospital, Maldon, or Braintree's William Julien Courtauld Hospital.

Cleaning, costing about £7,500, will start on May 12.

Although cleaning will finish on May 16, the hospital will remain closed during the weekend.

Peter Kohn, head of Adult Provider Services for Mid Essex PCT, said: "Our aim is to keep the disruption to an absolute minimum, but by closing the ward we will be able to get into every nook and cranny and give the ward a major spring clean.

"It's very difficult to re-open over the weekend.

"It's better to do it when everybody's back at work."

The major spring clean is in line with the deep clean programme.

It is part of Infection Prevention Controls aimed at reducing the incidence of MRSA and other hospital acquired infections.