SOUTHEND Hospital may lose its coveted stroke unit for good, a leading councillor fears.

Ron Woodley spoke out as world-renowned consultant, Prof Iris Grunwald, resigned from her post at Southend Hospital.

Following the merger of Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals, the newly-created Mid and South Essex Hospital Trust will make changes which could see a hyper-acute stroke unit at Basildon where a specialist cardiac unit has been created.

Mr Woodley, deputy leader of Southend Council, said Prof Grunwald’s departure marked an inevitable downgrading of the stroke unit.

He said: “We are not going to have a stroke unit. What we are seeing at the moment is hospital management saying they will do what they want.

“There is a very real possibility the stroke unit will follow the cardiac unit and go entirely to Basildon.

“This was always going to happen. We are going to have a downgraded hospital. That’s my belief but only time will tell.”

Southend Hospital - now part of the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust - insisted there were no plans to downgrade the unit.

A spokesman said: “We are fully committed to improving stroke services across Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and there are no plans to downgrade the unit.

“We have been working with the stroke team to establish a new thrombectomy service within the trust. This new treatment will benefit up to 10 per cent of stroke patients and will require specialist teams and equipment.

“This work was paused as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic but has now restarted.

“Our ability to provide such a service in Mid and South Essex will depend upon national commissioning decisions and a business case is being prepared to progress this. We are in the process of recruiting a lead for stroke services.”

Prof Grunwald’s fellow stroke consultant, Paul Guyler, has resumed his role as consultant stroke lead after stepping down early this year as an interim during the coronavirus crises.

However he is only in the post until August and no decision has been made on whether he will remain afterwards.

Dr Guyler has indicated he will remain as a consultant at the hospital.

'Words can't express my gratitude' 

A PROFESSOR who resigned from Southend Hospital’s stroke team where she oversaw pioneering new treatments has paid a moving tribute to the community and colleagues.

Prof Iris Grunwald, who served the borough for seven years, oversaw the introduction of thrombectomy, or clot removal.

She said: “I would like to pay tribute to this amazing community and all the support and kindness you have shown to our hospital, our service, and myself.

“Together we have built a stroke thrombectomy service almost overnight, and two years later we were amongst the best in the country.

“I guess words cannot express the amount of gratitude and love I feel for the people of Southend who have stood behind us throughout our journey.”

The team also ran the UK‘s first Mobile Stroke Unit, an ambulance equipped to give treatment at the site of an emergency.