MP and top councillor call for NHS direct intervention at Basildon Hospital after its multiple failures of service
By Nub News Reporter 15th Jan 2026
By Nub News Reporter 15th Jan 2026
THURROCK'S MP and the borough council's lead councillor for adult health and well-being have called on the NHS to formally intervene and take over the running of Basildon Hospital and its governing body, the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
Jen Craft and Cllr Mark Hooper have written to the Chief Executive of NHS England, Sir Jim Mackey, calling for action and an update because of the shocking record of failure by the hospital in multiple Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections.
The letter, penned by Mrs Craft but co-signed by Cllr Hooper, says: "I am writing alongside Thurrock Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Well-being, Mark Hooper, to follow up on our conversation at last month's Health and Social Care Select Committee session.
"As you will remember, we discussed the issue of ongoing poor performance at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.
"The trust's delivery of healthcare has become trapped in a cycle of poor performance that spans decades. While other organisations have seen improvement and recovery under this government, hospital-based services for Thurrock residents have continued to decline.
"There have been a series of alarming CQC reports, most recently an inspection that scored Basildon Hospital's services as "inadequate" overall. This is not the standard of service that residents should expect from their local hospital, nor the quality of care that I know NHS staff want to deliver for their patients.
"However, as you mentioned in the committee hearing, previous interventions have failed to turn around performance at the trust. Instead, continued poor performance has seemingly been tolerated, with the impetus for change put in the hands of those leaders who have overseen this managed decline. This has led many in the region to believe that the trust is incapable of improving.
"We therefore strongly welcome your commitment to future intervention at the trust. Particularly the focus on understanding the systemic or structural issues that exist, ahead of any intervention. We agree that it is critical to understand why past interventions have failed, in order to finally arrest this cycle of poor performance.
"You mentioned this investigation would be taking place in January, as a precursor to intervention.
"We would very much like to understand the timelines for this work and its completion, and when we can expect to see a package of tailored support devised and implemented at the trust. For patients in Thurrock and across the region, it cannot come soon enough."
"We would welcome an opportunity to meet with you or a member of your team to discuss these plans. In the meantime, if we can support your work in any way, please let us know."
Mrs Craft and Cllr Hooper's call echoes one made in Parliament late last year by the borough's other MP, independent James McMurdock, who highlighted 'the best and worst' at Basildon Hospital.
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