“1,000 Patients a Day” – Redbridge and Havering A&E Hits Breaking Point in Record Month

March was the busiest month on record for emergency care departments in Redbridge and Havering hospitals, the NHS says, writes Sebastian Mann local democracy reporter.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust (BHRUT) data shows an average of 1,000 people seeking urgent and emergency care every day.

The highest number of attendances in a single day was recorded in November last year, with 1,003.

The numbers have increased steadily month on month and the trust’s two hospitals – Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Ilford – ultimately treated 31,214 people.

This level of demand has “real consequences” and leads to long waits, overcrowding, and patients being cared for in corridors, the NHS says.

The situation was “particularly challenging” at Queen’s, BHRUT says, where the A&E department saw more than 750 patients a day – double its capacity of 325.

The trust is currently campaigning for £42million to replace the 20-year-old A&E department.

While some A&E patients were treated in hospital corridors, BHRUT staff has “improved significantly,” with 10,000 fewer hours of corridor care recorded at Queen’s in February 2026 compared to the previous year.

This saved around £150,000 on temporary staffing.

“Despite these improvements, the department isn’t fit for purpose which is why we’re campaigning for the £42m we need to transform it for patients and staff,” said Fiona Wheeler, BHRUT’s chief operating officer and deputy chief executive.

The outgoing chief executive Matthew Trainer said he was “confident we will receive the £42m needed to develop a modern, fit-for-purpose department and eradicate corridor care”.

The two hospitals have also been seeing high numbers of patients with mental health needs being brought into A&E and waiting too long to access the right services, the NHS says.

In a bid to reduce pressure, staff have been using the crisis assessment hub in Goodmayes Hospital, run by the North East London Foundation Trust, to help people before they come to A&E.

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