A £90,000 shake-up to improve maternity services across Tendring is being planned.

The Clacton and Harwich unit has been under threat several times over the past few years but the latest proposals being discussed by Health bosses are to invest in and improve the service.

Tendring Primary Care Group discussed the possible change, referred to as Option Six, at a board meeting last week.

The matter was deferred for two to three months to consider the possibilities of financing the scheme.

Dr Richard Perry, a board member and Harwich GP, said at present pregnant women were looked after by a community team of midwives during their pregnancy but saw a different midwife when they gave birth at hospital.

Option Six would mean the same midwife team deals with each woman throughout her pregnancy including the birth.

The concept ties in with a national report called Changing Childbirth, which encourages small teams of midwives to look after pregnant women.

If the plan goes ahead the maternity units at Clacton and Harwich would be midwife-led rather than GP-led.

And at Colchester the one midwife team would be boosted by another three.

Dr Perry said the idea would be in line with other practices in the county and added: "It's a case of levelling up rather than down. Under option six we would hope more women would deliver at Clacton Hospital."

A report to the PCG meeting said: "The preferred option costing £90,200 in total would be shared with Colchester PCG."

Dr Perry said talks were currently taking place with the Colchester PCG to see how the scheme could be financed. Kate Gill, chief officer for the North East Essex Community Health Council, said the group would meet next week to discuss maternity.

She added the CHC had recently undertaken a survey of 200 women who had recently given birth in the Clacton area. A total of 125 had replied and the group was in the process of putting the information together.

A spokesman for Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust, whose head of midwifery Anne Ferris designed the report, declined to comment over the proposal.

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