PEOPLE could die on the A127 if there is just one major trauma centre treating the most critically ill patients, a doctor has claimed.

And that's, of course, if it's based in south Essex.

Dr Marimuthu Velmurugan, from the Westborough Road surgery, Westcliff, blasted plans to downgrade two A&E departments.

Dr Velmurugan also dismissed the possibility that the specialist emergency centre could be sited at Southend, which has endured months of black alerts when it has been unable to deal with the sheer volume of patients visiting A&E.

He also questioned whether some critically injured or sick patients could be transported quickly enough to a central major emergency unit.

He said: "This is a reckless idea.

"We need emergency trauma centres in each area. What is judged to be a minor trauma can quickly become a major trauma. How will they know for sure?

"If I get run over by a car in Southend I would need specialist treatment within seven minutes or I could die.

"People will die on the A127 in traffic jams even if the major centre is in Basildon or Southend."

"In fact it definitely won't be Southend that's for sure. They can't cope now."

The 77-year-old GP added: "They are doing this to save money, but the money has been wasted by useless managers who promote themselves and award themselves big bonuses. That's where all the money has gone."

Broomfield Hospital has a specialist burns unit, but its emergency department is much smaller than either Basildon and Southend Hospitals.

Basildon Hospital chief executive Clare Panniker has been appointed to run the committee overseeing a closer working relationship between the three hospitals.

Her hospital's A&E department underwent a major revamp in 2011.

A recent Care Quality Commission report also rated its critical care service, including A&E as good after the trust made "significant improvements".

This makes it the favourite to become the major emergency centre.

Norman Traub, a former consultant at Southend Hospital and member of the Keep Our NHS Public campaign group has also criticised the changes to emergency care.

He said: "The problem with all these regimes is that they are faced with the awful job of dealing with the Department of Health's planned £22billion cuts in budget by 2020.

"If they put the emergency trauma centre in Basildon then our A&E service in Southend will be downgraded.

"They see a huge number of patients, 400 a day.

"If they are downgraded they won't have the same facilities as an A&E department and people will have to travel. It's a very retrograde step which will affect the hospital's other services. If there are no emergency services on the premises, other services will be downgraded."

Mr Traub added: "When they tried to move our blood testing services out of the area the Echo took a very good stance on that. This is the same situation.

"Services need to be where they are needed or patients are going to suffer. The hospital has served the community in Southend very well. Where there is not enough expertise patients are transferred to London or say the chest surgery in Basildon.

"You can't expect to have a chest surgery in every hospital, but you do expect to have an A&E in every hospital or we are going to lose lives."