Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust has secured £42 million for a much-needed rebuild of its Accident and Emergency department at Queen's Hospital.
The funding, announced following extensive campaigning, will see the A&E department, which was designed for 300 patients a day but frequently sees over double that number, completely rebuilt. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months, with the rebuild anticipated to provide significantly more space, though specific phases of construction beyond the commencement of building were not detailed.
Andrew Deaner, Chief Medical Officer for the Trust, expressed his gratitude for the funding, stating that it would make a huge difference
. He acknowledged that the current A&E department's design was just isn't fit for purpose
given the high patient numbers. The root cause of this mismatch appears to be a growing population and increasing demand, with the Trust's area population growing inexorably
and the amount of work increasing. The rebuild is intended to address this, alongside a focus on improving community care, reducing length of stay, and ensuring patients are only admitted when necessary.
The £42 million funding is expected to improve the Trust's ability to manage patient demand by providing adequate space, although specific projections on waiting time reductions directly linked to the new department's completion were not provided.
The announcement comes as the Trust continues to work on improving patient flow and reducing overcrowding. Significant efforts have been made to reduce the number of patients receiving care in corridors, with a 25% reduction seen in the past three months. At King George Hospital, corridor care has been made almost a never event
in the last two to three weeks. The Trust aims to have very few patients on corridors by winter and to eradicate corridor care entirely by the end of the year. This long-term strategy involves admitting only patients who have no alternative but to be in hospital, improving community and primary care facilities, reducing length of stay, and ensuring timely discharge.
Despite these improvements, the testimony of Councillor Marion Hull, who detailed her distressing experience of receiving care in a corridor at Queen's Hospital following a fall, highlighted the ongoing challenges. Councillor Hull spoke of excruciating pain, lack of privacy, and prolonged waits for pain relief and essential care.
Mr Deaner apologised for the care Councillor Hull received and acknowledged that while corridor care was being reduced, it had not yet been eradicated. He assured the committee that efforts were underway to improve patient dignity, confidentiality, and safety when corridor care could not be avoided. These include the use of screens for privacy, designated areas for toileting and cleaning, and emphasising compassion and kindness among staff. However, it is acknowledged that these measures are incredibly difficult
to implement perfectly when patients are on corridors.
Beyond the A&E rebuild, the Trust is implementing several other initiatives to address overcrowding and improve patient flow. These include daily flow meetings, partnership working with organisations like PELC to divert less seriously ill patients from A&E, and the establishment of Frailty Same-Day Emergency Care (SDEC) units at Queen's Hospital and a new medical SDEC unit at Queen's Hospital to complement the existing unit at King George Hospital. Efforts are also underway to reduce the length of stay by speeding up internal processes, investigations, and discharge. Furthermore, the Trust is working with local authorities to ensure adequate community-based support is available for patients who are medically fit for discharge. GP hubs and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) hubs, operated by Together First CIC, are collectively aiming to divert patients from A&E and provide care closer to home, having already shown a significant reduction in A&E attendances for respiratory conditions and diverting approximately 6,500-7,000 patients annually.
The Health Scrutiny Committee noted the report, acknowledging the significant efforts of Trust staff in improving performance while managing considerable pressures. The full public reports pack can be found here.