The closure of St Peter's Hospital in Maldon, Essex, will be considered as an alternative during a public consultation in 2024, reported BBC citing NHS managers.

This community hospital provides inpatient stroke rehabilitation and includes a birthing unit.

Both the services will temporarily shutter this winter, with beds relocated, while long-term solutions are being weighed.     

According to the publication, the decision has disappointed local leaders, and expectant parents will have to travel further 24-26km for childbirth during the temporary closure.

Maldon District Council independent leader Richard Siddall said: "Whilst I recognise the issues the NHS are facing with the St Peter's site, these are not new problems and something that should have been managed appropriately."

The NHS plans to engage with local stakeholders and the public to develop proposals for the hospital's future.

Furthermore, a preliminary business case, which includes the option of hospital closure, will serve as the basis for a public consultation scheduled for early 2024.

Meanwhile, NHS is set to roll out a ground-breaking cancer injection that claims to reduce treatment times by up to 75%.

This anti-cancer injection is said to take seven minutes to administer in contrast to intravenous transfusions, which take 30 minutes or longer.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved this new approach, making the NHS in England the first health system globally to offer it to hundreds of eligible cancer patients annually.