NHS West Essex is holding four sessions with the aim of bringing residents, community representatives and voluntary and service professionals together to discuss how local health services will be provided in the next three years, as the NHS goes through a period of radical change.

NHS West Essex chief executive Sheila Bremner said: “The aim of the meetings is to give local people the chance to air their views and give them the opportunity to influence the shape of future healthcare.

“The meeting will discuss a range of issues, such as how can we make the most of new treatments and preventative care to avoid people having to go into hospital, how should we organise emergency and urgent care services to avoid people having to go into hospital, how are we progressing with improvements for people with long term conditions and how could we achieve savings to our local NHS every year by reducing wasted medicine.”

The meetings are on:

• Thursday February 24 (2pm-4pm) - Lecture Theatre, Birchwood House, St Margaret’s Hospital, The Plain, Epping, CM16 6TN

• Monday February 28 (7.30pm-9.30pm) - Uttlesford District Council offices, London Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4ER.

• Tuesday March 8 (7.30pm-9.30pm) - Mountfitchet Mathematics and Computing College, Forest Hall Road, Stansted, CM24 8TZ.

• Thursday March 10 (6pm-8pm) - Griffin Suite, Latton Bush Centre, Southern Way, Harlow, CM18 7BL.

Anyone who would like to attend one of the sessions should contact NHS West Essex communications manager David Jackman; e-mail david.jackman@westessexpct.nhs.uk or ring 01992 566120 by Monday February 21.