Key Points
- Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) will present proposals to rebuild Queen’s Hospital A&E to its board in March 2026.
- The rebuild forms part of a £35 million funding campaign launched in January 2025 to expand capacity and improve layout in the overcrowded department, originally designed for 325 patients daily but now handling over 750.
- BHRUT Chief Executive Matthew Trainer expressed confidence in securing the funding this year, as Queen’s Hospital marks its 20th anniversary, stating the transformation will eradicate corridor care.
- Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging an urgent update on the funding request, citing winter pressures and complaints of patients waiting up to 100 hours in corridors.
- The campaign has backing from east London MPs including Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane, and Barking MP Nesil Caliskan.
- Queen’s Hospital A&E faces severe overcrowding, with reports of corridor care described as a “warzone,” patients treated in toilets, and elderly lacking dignity; the hospital apologised to affected patients.
- Recent records show busiest day ever with over 1,000 A&E attendances pre-Christmas 2025, and nearly 31,000 across BHRUT A&Es in December.
- MPs have lobbied ministers, including meetings with Health Minister Karin Smyth, and highlighted moves like renal services to St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub enabling redevelopment.
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) has noted ongoing safety issues in A&E, with patients waiting too long for admission.
- Local residents and campaigners report traumatising conditions, with calls for community support via MP contacts.
Romford (Romford Recorder) January 15, 2026 – Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT) has confirmed that proposals to rebuild the overcrowded Accident and Emergency (A&E) department at Queen’s Hospital in Romford will be brought before its board of directors in March. The plans aim to secure £35 million in funding to transform the facility, which was designed for 325 patients a day two decades ago but now routinely sees more than double that number, leading to widespread corridor care. This development follows a sustained campaign launched last January and intensifying political pressure from local MPs amid reports of dire conditions for patients and staff.
What Triggered the A&E Rebuild Proposals?
The push for rebuilding stems from chronic overcrowding at Queen’s Hospital A&E, serving over 700,000 people across east London boroughs including Havering, Barking, Dagenham, and Redbridge. As reported in BHRUT’s Chief Executive’s Board report, the department sees around 100 ambulance arrivals daily and peaked at 752 patients on a single day in December 2025, contributing to nearly 31,000 A&E attendances trust-wide that month—its busiest ever. BHRUT Chief Executive Matthew Trainer stated in the Romford Recorder:
“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… will make it fit for purpose and eradicate corridor care”.
Corridor care has become a persistent crisis, with up to 50 patients on trolleys at peak times early this year, costing an extra £100,000 monthly in staffing. ITV News footage from December 2025 revealed “warzone” conditions, including an ECG performed in a toilet due to space shortages; patient Catherine described it as traumatising with “no dignity,” while Patricia Marquis called the lack of dignity “awful”. Matthew Trainer, responding to ITV News, said:
“I’m sorry patients are receiving care in our A&E corridors. It’s not right and it isn’t fair to our patients or to our staff”.
Havering Daily reported Elm Park resident Suzy witnessing over ten elderly patients daily in corridors without privacy or curtains, stating:
“The care at this hospital is awful. The elderly are left for days, they have no dignity, no privacy”.
Why Is Queen’s Hospital A&E Overcrowded?
Queen’s Hospital, opened in 2006, was built for around 300-325 daily A&E patients, but demand has surged with population growth and post-pandemic pressures, now exceeding 750 at peaks like 751 in March 2025 and over 1,000 just before Christmas. BHRUT notes an extra 153 daily urgent care seekers since January 2023. The CQC has repeatedly flagged safety failures, with Deputy Director Matthew Trainer (distinct from BHRUT’s CEO) stating:
“People who need to be admitted to Queen’s Hospital through A&E are waiting far too long”.
Constituents reported waits of 100 hours for wards over winter, exacerbating staff pressures.
Who Launched the £35 Million Campaign?
BHRUT launched the campaign in January 2025 (with roots in April per some reports) to fund expansion using space freed by renal services moving to the £17m St George’s Health and Wellbeing Hub in Hornchurch. Matthew Trainer invited media in January 2023 to witness corridor care, galvanising support. The trust urges patients to contact MPs via department posters with QR codes.
Which MPs Support Queen’s Hospital Funding?
Multiple east London MPs have endorsed the campaign. As reported by BHRUT, Hornchurch and Upminster MP Julia Lopez said:
“To get better emergency care for residents, I’ve been pushing ministers to fund the redevelopment of Queen’s A&E… I’ve been supporting this campaign for a few months now”.
On January 8, 2026, Julia Lopez wrote to Health Secretary Wes Streeting:
“This situation has grown particularly acute over the winter period… I received complaints from constituents who waited in corridors for days, one patient reported waiting 100 hours… An expanded A&E facility at Queen’s Hospital is urgently needed”.
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell, after site visits, stated in BHRUT news:
“I fully support the campaign… I have seen firsthand the lifesaving work… but the resources are simply not there”.
In a January 2026 Havering Daily statement, he added:
“Patients regularly being cared for in corridors is a damning indictment… This is why I have consistently championed a new A&E… We need a modern, fit-for-purpose facility”.
He met Health Minister Karin Smyth with Trainer in June 2025, pressing for funds.
Dagenham and Rainham MP Margaret Mullane said:
“There is a desperate need… Queen’s Hospital was only designed… for around 300 patients a day, currently… up to 750… I have recently written to Wes Streeting… to press the case”.
Barking MP Nesil Caliskan, after visiting, stated:
“I support their campaign to expand their A&E department, and will continue to raise the challenges… with the Government”.
What Is the Timeline for Board Approval?
Proposals reach the BHRUT board in March 2026, with Trainer confident of funding in Queen’s 20th year. Julia Lopez seeks Department of Health clarity on next steps. East London Times notes Mullane intensifying efforts amid CQC’s worst GP ratings and corridor crises.
What Challenges Persist Despite Support?
Despite MP lobbying—like Rosindell’s Commons interventions—and trust performance gains (7,000 more four-hour treatments in April 2025 vs prior year), systemic NHS issues like workforce shortages hinder progress. The King’s Fund suggests such investments cut admissions 15-20%, but experts like Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Dr Adrian Boyle decry corridor care nationally. BHRUT Chief Executive Trainer emphasised in video diaries the ongoing maternity and A&E strains.
How Can the Community Help?
BHRUT calls on patients and families to contact MPs for the £35m, vital for beds, bays, and diagnostics to end indignities. MPs like Lopez stress:
“An expanded and modernised A&E facility is urgently needed to ensure people receive timely, safe and dignified care”.
As Queen’s Hospital faces its busiest periods, unified local voices could tip the scales for transformation.
