COMMUNITY hospitals in mid Essex will take on new roles as the county grapples with spiralling coronavirus cases.

Hospitals in Braintree and Maldon are set to see new, temporary changes in the coming weeks which will see each take in patients from across mid and south Essex.

Under plans announced by the Mid and South Essex Health Care Partnership, St Peter’s Hospital in Maldon will help stroke patients continue their rehabilitation.

Patients will be moved from a centre in Rochford which is set to take on Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile, a larger intermediate care ward is being set up at Braintree Community Hospital which will be taking some patients from Halstead Community Hospital.

The day unit at Braintree Hospital will also support outpatients staying overnight after surgery, as well as having a greater focus on cancer patients.

A home-first model is also being used by health services across mid and south Essex, which means many recovering patients will be sent home to continue therapy and rehabilitation.

A letter sent out by the partnership which announced the changes says some routine operations have been postponed at Essex hospitals due to the rising number of Covid patients.

The letter says: “We have made these risk-based judgements most reluctantly as we realise they will inevitably affect the concerted efforts that we have maintained this far to tackle the backlog of cases that developed during the first wave.

“We shall, however, continue to prioritise cancer surgery and clinically urgent cases so far as is possible in these challenging circumstances.”

The partnership says the changes to community hospitals are temporary, but has warned they could last several months depending on the number of Covid patients.

It added: “Many of the adjustments being made are necessary so that we can make best use of available staff.

“These decisions by necessity continue to be rapid, which has meant we were unable to follow the normal process of engaging with you and our local populations in working together to change, align and re-prioritise service provision to meet our residents’ needs.”

The latest data released by County Hall shows nearly a quarter of hospital beds across Essex are now occupied by Covid-19 patients.

As of December 22, 762 beds were occupied by patients who have tested positive for coronavirus – that is 22 per cent of hospital capacity in the county.

Essex County Council leader David Finch said: “We continue to work hard to stem rising infection rates across Essex, including increasing our testing capacity and improving our track and test efforts. We also remain committed to supporting communities and businesses affected by local restrictions, as well as protecting our local health services.

“However, we also need the help of the people of Essex. For any of our work to be as effective as it can be, everyone must play their part.

“This is the time to act, to follow the guidance and not to give up. I urge residents across the county to do so to protect themselves and those they love.

“If we all socially distance, wash our hands regularly and wear a face covering when required, we will reduce the rate of infection sooner.”