Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has confirmed that a proposal to rebuild Queen’s A&E will be brought before its board of directors in March.
The proposals are part of a campaign by the trust, launched in January last year, to secure £35 million in funding to improve the layout and expand the capacity of the A&E.
BHRUT chief executive Matthew Trainer told this paper he is “confident” the Romford hospital will receive the funding it needs this year.
Mr Trainer said: “I am confident – in this the year Queen’s turns 20 – that we will receive the £35m needed to rebuild the A&E.
“Our plans will come before the board in March.
“The transformation of an overcrowded department that was designed for 325 patients a day will make it fit for purpose and eradicate corridor care.”
It comes after Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez pushed the Department for Health for an “urgent update” on its consideration of BHRUT’s funding request.
In a post on social media, Ms Lopez spoke of “deeply concerning reports” from residents, sharing a letter addressed to health secretary and MP for Ilford North Wes Streeting.
The letter said: “This situation has grown particularly acute over the winter period, heaping further pressure on staff and facilities.
“During this period I received complaints from constituents who waited in corridors for days, one patient reported waiting 100 hours for a place on a ward.
“This is not a project that would be nice to have, an expanded A&E facility at Queen’s Hospital is urgently needed, as both our constituents would attest.”
Since the A&E campaign was launched last year, it has received backing from other east London MPs, including Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane, and Barking MP Nesil Caliskan.
BHRUT said it is “grateful” to local politicians for their “ongoing support”.
