Plans for the closure of Orsett Hospital have been slammed by residents after a public consultation.

Thurrock Labour Group Leader, Oliver Gerrish, raised concerns about the visibility of the consultation on the closure.

Following the council's health committee further concerns have been raised about the issue.

HealthWatch Thurrock criticised the consultation, claiming it "fails" the residents in the area.

Following the committee, Kim James, a representative for HealthWatch Thurrock, said: “The concerns that have been raised with us are that they feel the consultation document fails the people of Thurrock.

"It is very hard for people to access it, until six weeks in, the only option was to go online to complete it.”

“When you go out with this document, people do not realise that in here is anything in here to do with Orsett Hospital.

“You have to go 48 pages into the 54 page document to find the Orsett part of it!

“Only 2,000 hard copies were printed for the whole STP area of 1.4million people and we got 97 of them in Thurrock.”

She summarised by saying “It is not a fair consultation.”

She added: “Some things are being moved to rectify this but we’re seven weeks in. We do have concerns that there is not fair access to this document”.

Joycelyn Redsell, Conservative councillor for Little Thurrock Blackshots also raised her concerns about the consultation.

She said: "We’ve got to realise that there’s a group of people out there that we are just brushing over, that they don’t matter - because I tell you what, that’s how they feel out there.

“None of my residents, I can assure you, know about these two meetings in the civic hall."

Speaking after the meeting, Committee Chair, Graham Snell, there will be views seeked from residents about four new centres to offer services instead of Orsett.

He said: “The direction of travel set out in the consultation is a positive one – services provided in one place closer to where people live.

"The committee was reassured to hear from NHS colleagues that services will not leave Orsett Hospital until they are provided within the new Integrated Medical Centres and that there is an opportunity for the community to shape how this will work in practice.”

Following the meeting, Victoria Holloway, spokesman for Thurrock Labour Group Health, said: “I was absolutely astounded to hear about the shortcomings in this consultation.

"A decision this big should allow all our residents to take part.

"I’m concerned that this message is still not reaching everyone.

“Thurrock Labour is calling on all residents, whatever their views, to make sure that they respond to the consultation.

"Because of our concerns about the lack of detail on the future provision of services, the Labour Group are opposing the closure of Orsett Hospital.”

To find out more about the consultation, go to: www.nhsmidandsouthessex.co.uk/