Mental health patients are facing prolonged waits in Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments in Redbridge, according to a report presented to the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee.
The 2024 Care Quality Commission (CQC) Urgent and Emergency Care Survey, which surveyed 1,250 patients who visited King George Hospital and Queen's Hospital in February 2024, revealed that while some aspects of care were rated positively, areas for improvement included communication about wait times and care after discharge.
The report highlighted that since the survey, patient attendances have increased significantly, with December 2025 being the busiest month on record. This surge is primarily attributed to increasing patient attendances, with December 2025 being the busiest ever.
The report also notes that Many are brought in from nursing and care homes.
This surge has led to some A&E patients receiving care in corridors, a situation described as not ideal but preferable to patients waiting outside in ambulances.
Queen's Hospital is particularly strained, seeing more than double its designed capacity.
A key concern raised was the high number of patients with mental health needs attending A&E and experiencing long waits for appropriate services. The trust is working with partners to address this issue.
Improvements planned or in progress include a communication study day for nurses, letters of apology for corridor care, a patient passport to explain the A&E journey, a focus on pain control, and the display of waiting times in A&E waiting rooms.
The communication study day for nurses involved using patient complaints, with role play to support the nursing team to have difficult conversations about waiting times and to help staff explain what is happening to the patient and the next steps for them.
This initiative is expected to improve patient care through clearer communication regarding waiting times and patient journeys.
Furthermore, a patient passport initiative is on its 3rd iteration
and is given to the patient, explaining the journey through A&E and what happens in each location, with links to information and support.
This aims to enhance the A&E experience by providing patients with greater clarity and access to information.
More details on the Health Scrutiny Sub-Committee meeting can be found in the Public reports pack.
