PLANS for three more integrated medical centres (IMCs) in Thurrock are in significant doubt after it was revealed there is at least a £24 million funding gap for the scheme.

Four centres were planned to deliver a range of primary care services across Thurrock following the planned closure of Orsett Hospital. To date, only one has been built, with Corringham getting its official opening last week.

The showcase IMC project has been a lynchpin of the Conservative ruling group's strategy in Thurrock for several years and has been endorsed by senior councillors as a major boost for healthcare in the borough.

Now one of their own councillors who heads up a health review committee believes there is little chance of it being delivered.

But despite that, it appears plans may be going ahead to close Orsett Hospital - something that borough residents have been repeatedly told will not happen until all its services have been replicated or enhanced across the IMCS.

Plans for centres in Tilbury, Grays and Purfleet have still to get off the drawing board and is is now becoming clear it is likely there will be significant gap in funding expectations and bringing them them into reality may not be possible.

Earlier this year, troubleshooter Tiffany Hemming was brought in to co-ordinate the provision of the centres and she has reported back to Thurrock Council's health and wellbeing committee.

Ms Hemming told the committee that finance bosses were currently considering the funding gap, but she said: "In terms of the full integrated medical centre build we have a very large funding gap because Orsett Hospital has come back with a lower valuation than we expected, therefore there is a rather large cost and a rather large gap."

Grays alone is anticipated to cost £30 million and it is now estimated the sale of land at Orsett will bring in £6 million.

Chairman Cllr Shane Ralph asked Ms Hemmings bluntly: "You can't afford this can you?"

In response, Ms Hemming said: "At the moment it's not looking great in terms of having enough money for all of these sites, particularly the funding gap for Grays but we are working through that because we have to find a solution to close Orsett Hospital. The money is the biggest risk at the present time."

Cllr Ralph said councillors had been led to believe the plans were going "full steam ahead".

He added: "I'm seriously concerned about this whole project. The Corringham facility is fantastic. Are we ever going to get the rest of these? I can't see where we are heading."

Ms Hemming suggested the buildings weren't the whole picture.

She said: "I'm moving the focus away from just delivering buildings, which is where it has been, and more to making sure we have integrated care services across Thurrock because I firmly believe that we should have been doing that from 2015 onwards.

"That will ensure we will enhance the service delivered to every patient in Thurrock regardless of there being a building in place."