“WE NEED A BIGGER HOSPITAL!” Hundreds of Residents Call For An Increase In Health Care.

18th September 202618th September 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments BHRUT, Havering, Health Care, Residents min read

The Havering Daily recently asked residents whether they believed Havering needs a bigger hospital and the response was overwhelming. More than 700 readers left comments, with residents repeatedly calling for greater hospital capacity to cope with the pressures already facing Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes, as the population continues to grow and more homes and flats are being built across the borough.

The response has opened up a much bigger question for Havering.

Is the area’s hospital infrastructure keeping pace with the population it is expected to serve?

Queen’s Hospital in Romford and King George Hospital in Goodmayes are operated by Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, which serves a population of approximately 800,000 across outer North East London and Essex.

Between the two hospitals, the Trust currently has approximately 900 beds.

But residents are asking whether that capacity will be enough for the future.

The concern comes at a time when Havering is facing major housing pressures, with thousands of additional homes planned and development taking place across the borough.

For residents who took part in The Havering Daily’s discussion, the issue is not simply about having somewhere to go when they are ill.

It is about whether there will be enough hospital capacity, beds, emergency care and specialist services when the growing population needs them.

Queen’s Hospital is already the Trust’s larger acute hospital and is the main hospital serving Havering, Barking and Dagenham, Brentwood and surrounding areas.

The CQC has previously recorded significant pressures within urgent and emergency care at Queen’s, including overcrowding, delays and difficulties with patient flow. The latest CQC information lists Queen’s overall rating as “Requires improvement”, with urgent and emergency services also rated “Requires improvement”.

And the demand is significant.

The CQC recorded 60,806 adult emergency department attendances and 23,333 children’s attendances at Queen’s in the year covered by its 2023 inspection, a combined total of more than 84,000 emergency department attendances.

Residents are now looking further ahead.

If Havering is expected to accommodate a growing number of homes, where will the additional residents receive hospital treatment?

Will the existing hospitals be expanded sufficiently?

Will Queen’s Hospital have the capacity required?

Will King George continue to play its current role?

Or will a much bigger rethink of hospital capacity eventually be needed?

These are questions that residents themselves are now raising.

For years, many Havering residents have argued that the borough needs hospital services capable of keeping pace with its changing population.

The latest response to The Havering Daily’s question has given that argument a fresh voice.

More than 700 readers took the time to comment, and the overwhelming theme was a call for greater hospital capacity.

Residents want hospitals that can cope with today’s demand, while also being prepared for tomorrow’s population.

And that is particularly significant when the borough is simultaneously being asked to accommodate substantial new housing.

Building thousands of additional homes inevitably raises questions about the infrastructure needed to support the people who will live in them.

Schools need capacity.

Roads need capacity.

GP services need capacity.

Public transport needs capacity.

And hospitals need capacity.

For residents, the argument is straightforward: if the population is growing, healthcare infrastructure must be planned alongside that growth.

The debate therefore goes beyond simply asking whether Queen’s Hospital is under pressure today.

It is about whether the borough’s health infrastructure is being planned far enough into the future.

Havering residents have now had their say.

The question is whether those concerns will lead to a much bigger conversation about the future of hospital provision across Havering and neighbouring boroughs.

Because with approximately 900 beds currently serving the Trust’s two hospital sites and a population of around 800,000, residents are asking a very simple question:

As more people move into the area, where will they go when they need a hospital bed?

That is a question that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

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