A University Teaching Hospital, the Trust provides an extensive range of acute medical and surgical services at Basildon Hospital and Orsett Hospital in South West Essex, primarily serving the 310,000 population of Basildon and Thurrock, together with residents of the neighbouring districts of Brentwood (for whom it is the main provider of cardiology services) and Castle Point.

Over £30 million has been invested in the last three years expanding and modernising Basildon Hospital. The culmination of this is a new £17 million, three-storey, 321-bed ward block that has facilitated the recent centralisation of all inpatient services onto the main hospital site and increased overall bed capacity. Both Basildon and Orsett Hospitals have dedicated Day Surgery Units.

Following public consultation, Essex Health Authority has agreed Basildon Hospital as the recommended location for a proposed multi-million pound specialist tertiary cardio-thoracic centre for Essex. It will be housed in a new, three-storey 14,000-m2 building, with four specialist theatres for heart and other major chest surgery, over 100 beds, its own critical care unit, catheterisation labs for complex cardiology investigations and procedures, day stay facilities and outpatient clinics.

A Business Case is currently being developed and, subject to Secretary of State approval, building will start next year with the opening in 2006.

With an annual budget of over £113 million, the Trust treats 50,000 inpatients and day cases, provides nearly 200,000 outpatient consultations and attends to some 70,000 Accident and Emergency patients a year.