£42 MILLION FOR QUEEN’S HOSPITAL A&E: WILL IT FINALLY END CORRIDOR CARE AND THE LONG WAITS?

19th October 202619th October 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments A&E, BHRUT, Funding, Health, Queen's Hospital min read

After years of overcrowding, lengthy waits and patients being treated in corridors, Queen’s Hospital in Romford has secured £42 million to transform its A&E department. But for local residents who have experienced the pressure on emergency services first-hand, the big question is whether this investment will finally deliver safer, more dignified treatment and a better experience for patients.

The £42 million funding, announced as part of a wider £140 million Government investment in urgent care, marks a major milestone for Queen’s Hospital and the communities it serves across Havering, Barking and Dagenham and surrounding areas.

For residents, this is about far more than a new hospital department. It is about what happens when they arrive at A&E frightened, seriously ill, injured or worried about a loved one, and whether they can receive timely treatment in a safe and dignified environment.

Queen’s Hospital opened in 2006, with its A&E designed to care for around 325 patients a day. The hospital says it now regularly sees more than double that number seeking urgent and emergency treatment.

The scale of demand has placed enormous pressure on facilities that were not designed for the number of people now relying on them.

The trust recorded 31,214 A&E attendances across its hospitals in March 2026, its busiest month on record. That equated to an average of more than 1,000 attendances a day across the trust’s hospital sites, rather than at Queen’s alone.

Behind those figures are real people: older residents who have fallen, children needing urgent treatment, patients experiencing severe pain and families anxiously waiting for news.

Corridor care and the fight for dignity

One of the most serious concerns surrounding Queen’s A&E has been corridor care, where patients are treated in corridors when suitable clinical space is unavailable.

For patients, this can mean waiting on a trolley while unwell, with limited privacy and an environment that can be distressing for them and their families. It can also create challenges for staff trying to monitor patients and deliver treatment safely.

These concerns are not simply anecdotal. Healthwatch Havering visited Queen’s A&E in October 2025 and spoke to five patients being treated in corridors. The patients raised concerns including staffing levels, communication and the need for more resources to improve conditions.

The report also recorded accounts of the impact corridor care can have on patients’ dignity and experience. One anonymous patient told Healthwatch they had spent 40 hours on a trolley in a corridor and described the experience as frightening, with difficulties accessing help and support.

The hospital has acknowledged that its current layout makes it harder to monitor patients, manage patient flow and provide an appropriate environment for patients and staff.

There has, however, been some progress. The trust reported 10,000 fewer hours of corridor care in February 2026 compared with February 2025. It also said a new initial assessment process had reduced the time patients waited for assessment by 37 minutes.

Those improvements are welcome, but the continuing need to transform the department highlights the scale of the challenge.

What will the £42 million actually change?

The redevelopment is intended to create a modern, fit-for-purpose emergency department, improving the experience of patients and the working environment for NHS staff.

One of the most striking changes will be the distance patients have to walk to reach adult A&E. At present, the hospital says the route from the Queen’s entrance to adult A&E involves approximately 335 steps. Under the plans, that will be reduced to just 50 steps.

The redevelopment is also expected to provide dedicated waiting areas, better visibility for staff monitoring patients, improved patient flow and more natural light.

These changes matter because the physical layout of an emergency department can affect how easily patients are assessed, how effectively staff can observe those who are unwell and how smoothly people move through the service.

Children and their families are also expected to benefit. Plans include bringing the Children’s A&E and assessment area together by removing the corridor that currently separates them, creating a dedicated resuscitation area and improving space for children who need somewhere quieter to decompress.

The hospital is also planning to work with UCL Partners as it explores digital innovation for the new department.

Will residents finally see shorter waits?

This is the question many residents will want answered.

A new department can provide better facilities, more appropriate clinical spaces and an improved layout. However, the £42 million investment does not, by itself, guarantee shorter waits or an end to corridor care.

Those outcomes will also depend on staffing, the availability of hospital beds, how quickly patients can be admitted or discharged, ambulance demand and the wider pressures affecting urgent and emergency services.

The trust has already demonstrated that changes to assessment and patient flow can make a difference. The challenge now is to build on that progress and ensure the new facilities translate into a better experience for patients.

Residents will understandably want to know when the work will begin, when the new department will open and what measures will be used to show whether care has improved.

They will also want reassurance that the investment will benefit patients in practice, rather than simply delivering a modern building while the pressures inside it remain unchanged.

Patients deserve better than long waits and poor experiences

Alongside concerns about waiting times and corridor care, patients have raised concerns about communication and the way they are treated during stressful visits.

Healthwatch Havering’s report documented concerns about communication, staffing and the conditions experienced by patients receiving corridor care. These are important issues for the hospital to address, although individual accounts should not be taken as evidence that all staff provide poor care.

NHS staff are also working under considerable pressure, often in difficult circumstances. A modern department should help create a better environment for patients and staff alike, but good care also depends on communication, compassion, clear information and patients being treated with dignity.

For someone waiting in pain or frightened about their health, being kept informed and treated with kindness can make a significant difference.

The redevelopment offers an opportunity to improve not only the physical environment but the overall experience of emergency care.

A major investment, with expectations to match

The £42 million funding follows a 22-month campaign involving the hospital’s leadership, local communities, staff, MPs and NHS colleagues.

Fiona Wheeler, Interim Chief Executive, has described the funding as a landmark moment, saying the investment will help improve safety, restore dignity and create a better clinical environment.

For residents, however, the real test will come when the plans become reality.

Havering and neighbouring communities depend on Queen’s Hospital at some of the most difficult moments in their lives. With demand continuing to place pressure on emergency services, the need for facilities capable of meeting that demand has become increasingly clear.

The funding is welcome news. But residents will rightly expect to see tangible improvements: better conditions for patients, more effective assessment, improved privacy, shorter waits where possible and a clear reduction in corridor care.

A new A&E department is an important step. The ultimate measure of success will be whether people who walk through its doors receive timely, safe and compassionate treatment when they need it most.

The question now is not simply whether Queen’s Hospital will have a new A&E, but whether the transformation will deliver the better care local residents have waited years to see.

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