Queen's Hospital in Romford is struggling to cope with the number of patients attending its A&E department, according to Matthew Treynor, Chief Executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT). The department, originally built for 325 patients a day, now regularly sees over double that number, leading to long waits and overcrowding.

At a meeting of the Outer North East London Joint Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 8 July 2025, Treynor reported that while four out of five patients attending emergency departments were seen and treated within four hours in May, the sheer volume of patients is putting a strain on resources. May was the second busiest month on record, with just under 31,000 people attending.

Because of the size of the A&E, particularly at Queen's, we continue to see problems with long waits for elderly patients in particular who are waiting for a bed, Treynor said. And we still see a number of people who spend the night on a bed in the corridor. They are being cared for by a nurse. They've seen a doctor. But because of the pressures on the department, that remains a real problem.

Treynor said he had met with Health Minister Karen Smith MP and local MP Andrew Rosendale to campaign for more investment in the A&E. It is not fit for purpose as a space anymore. It's a confusing, badly laid out department, he said, adding that investment in a new A&E at King George Hospital had made a significant difference.

BHRUT ended the year with a deficit of £31 million, out of a total budget of around £950 million. This year, the budget is around £1 billion, and the trust is trying to find £61 million worth of savings. They are trying to reduce spending on high cost staff, aiming to reduce agency staff costs from £47 million two years ago to around £7 million this year.

BHRUT will be the last acute trust in London to have an electronic patient record, which is planned for 13 September. This will give everyone in the hospital immediate access to test results and notes, and will also allow staff to see what has happened to patients who have been to other hospitals.

Councillor Ajanta Deb Roy asked about the emergency care overload, and what measures are in place to ensure that this does not impact the quality of care. Treynor responded that the very high numbers of people seen in A&E does compromise quality, and that the crowding is unpleasant. He said that they are asking for more money to invest in the A&E to build a bigger, brighter, airier environment for it.