Letter for Ilford Recorder

 Sent Earlier Today

Dear Letters Editor

 

Following our campaign meeting at Redbridge Town Hall on 7th July, we again call on Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health, to look into releasing additional funding for a new wing at King George and additional staff, instead of the proposed £61M funding cuts and 115 jobs lost shown in the March 2025 Hospitals' board papers.
There is also well-established evidence, both nationally and internationally, that lengthy waiting times in A&E departments are related to worse medical outcomes.  The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found:
“The relative difference in the risk of post-discharge death after 12 hours in A&E compared with two hours in A&E was greatest for: younger patients (for example, the odds at 12 hours were 4.6 times higher than at two hours for patients aged 20 years”
In March 2025, the number of patients waiting more 12 hours in A&E was 1,851 at Queens and and 1,050 at King George Hospital.
 We say these long waits in our hospitals are causing unnecessary deaths.  In order to cope with existing and future increasing demand, a new wing at King George, adequately staffed, is essential to improve the health outcomes in our neighbourhoods.
At the July 2025 BHRUT board meeting, Mr Trainer can be seen on the BHRUT recording saying he is considering a study into whether 12 hour waits are increasing death rates for young patients. We urge Mr Trainer to commission a study into 12 hour wait deaths because we expect the study to replicate the ONS finding. 
More information about our campaign including research quoted above is at the Save King George Hospital Blog.

 

Regards

 

Bob Archer - Redbridge Trades Council

Councillor Noor Jahan Begum  Ilford Independents 

Marwan Elfallah Ilford Independents 

Ashburn Holder – Liberal Democrats

Glenn Holmes

Andy Walker - TUSC

RoseMary Warrington – Green Party

This is a Mr Trainer, the Chief Executive of BHRUT considering commissioning a new study into deaths linked to 12 hour waits.

 

Report from New Wing for King George Meeting on 7th July

 Thank you to everyone attending, the video of the meeting is below:

The photo is 

Next thing to do is a letter for next weeks local papers. More on this soon.

Questions for BHRUT Board meeting

 I sent a letter earlier this week support for a new wing at King George.

I don't ask you for your support for the campaign, nor the claims that long A&E waits cause unnecessary death  instead, do you agree that the BHRUT statistics at March 2025  mentioned are correct?

Letter follows

Dear Letters Editors,

Following our meeting at Redbridge Town Hall on 7^th July, we again call on Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health, to look into releasing additional funding for a new wing at King George and additional staff, instead of the proposed £61M funding cuts and 115 jobs lost shown in the March 2025 Hospitals' board papers.

Critics may say that the country cannot afford the capital outlay and the long-term increase in funding that the wing and additional staffing would incur.   However, we say a look at recent IMF data shows France spending 56% of its national wealth each year on public services, while the UK spends only 44%. 

There is also well-established evidence, both nationally and internationally, that lengthy waiting times in A&E departments are related to worse medical outcomes.  The Office for National Statistics found:

“The relative difference in the risk of post-discharge death after 12 hours in A&E compared with two hours in A&E was greatest for: younger patients (for example, the odds at 12 hours were 4.6 times higher than at two hours for patients aged 20 years), those in London (2.7 times higher), those who attended A&E for reasons to do with their eyes (7.9 times higher), and those who were not admitted to hospital for inpatient care after visiting A&E (2.8 times higher)”

In March 2025, the number of patients waiting more 12 hours in A&E was 1,851 at Queens and and 1,050 at King George Hospital.

 We say these long waits in our hospitals are causing unnecessary deaths.  In order to cope with existing and future increasing demand, a new wing at King George, adequately staffed, is essential to improve the health outcomes in our neighbourhoods.

More information about our campaign including research quoted above is at the Save King George Hospital 

My second question is:

"In light of the Office for National Statistics finding that young people were at higher risk of dying if they waited for more 12 hours in A&E will this board re-visit an earlier study on 12 hour deaths which focused on the elderly? The ONS finding is : “The relative difference in the risk of post-discharge death after 12 hours in A&E compared with two hours in A&E was greatest for: younger patients (for example, the odds at 12 hours were 4.6 times higher. The ONS report is at Association between time spent in emergency care and 30-day post-discharge mortality, England - Office for National Statistics https://share.google/71ihtjfsc7EQNZZuV

£100 fine today for campaigning for NHS outside Redbridge Town Hall

To my surprise, earlier today when campaigning outside Redbridge Town Hall with Ashburn Holder, I was fined £100 for putting up a poster calling for a new wing at King George on the Town Hall railings and leafleting for a new wing for King George public meeting at 8pm on 7th July. I will appeal against the order saying campaigning for a new wing at King George is not advertising per the extract from the order on the Council Website London Borough of Redbridge Anti- Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 PART 4, SECTION 59 Ilford Town Centre, Loxford/Valentines/Clementswood/ Barkingside/Cranbrook Wards Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) THE ORDER No person should affix or distribute any forms of advertising in the restricted area. This includes the advertisements for those offering personal services this includes the advertisement of telephone numbers. Offences under this Public Space Protection Order Any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the terms of the Order is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on a standard scale. A police constable, a Police Community Support Officer, an authorised council officer or persons authorised by the council may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice to any persons they have reason to believe has committed an offence. (S.68) A Fixed Penalty Notice of £100.00 will be issued to offenders. Payment of the Fixed Penalty Notice will discharge any liability to conviction for an offence under Section 67 (1) of the Act. The Order may be cited as the London Borough of Redbridge Ilford Town Centre, Valentines, Cranbrook, Loxford, Clementswood and Barkingside Wards Public Space Protection Order and shall come into force on 17th October 2023 and remain in force for a period of three years until October 2026.

I wrote this all Councillors in Redbridge earlier today

Dear Councillors

This taken from my blog on the save King George Hospital blog earlier today.

“To my surprise, earlier today when campaigning outside Redbridge Town Hall with Ashburn Holder, I was fined £100 for putting up a poster calling for a new wing at King George on the Town Hall railings and leafleting for a new wing for King George public meeting at 8pm on 7th July. I will appeal against the order saying campaigning for a new wing at King George is not advertising per the extract from the order on the Council Website

London Borough of Redbridge Anti- Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 PART 4, SECTION 59 Ilford Town Centre, Loxford/Valentines/Clementswood/ Barkingside/Cranbrook Wards Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) THE ORDER No person should affix or distribute any forms of advertising in the restricted area. This includes the advertisements for those offering personal services this includes the advertisement of telephone numbers. Offences under this Public Space Protection Order Any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the terms of the Order is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on a standard scale. A police constable, a Police Community Support Officer, an authorised council officer or persons authorised by the council may issue a Fixed Penalty Notice to any persons they have reason to believe has committed an offence. (S.68) A Fixed Penalty Notice of £100.00 will be issued to offenders. Payment of the Fixed Penalty Notice will discharge any liability to conviction for an offence under Section 67 (1) of the Act. The Order may be cited as the London Borough of Redbridge Ilford Town Centre, Valentines, Cranbrook, Loxford, Clementswood and Barkingside Wards Public Space Protection Order and shall come into force on 17th October 2023 and remain in force for a period of three years until October” ENDs Extract, the blog includes a video of me being fined.

I say article 10 giving me a right to freedom of expression applies under the Human Rights Act. It used to be a Redbridge, and I expect British tradition that residents could leaflet outside the Town Hall.

The jargon for such campaigning is civic engagement and there is research to show that civic engagement works and is good for our community.

In the past I was part of a team that campaigned for years ito save King George A&E and leaflets and banners at the Town Hall were a big part of the campaign.

It strikes me that the Leader needs to intervene to stop the fine and order retraining for his enforcement team so they can tell the difference between a commercial flyer and a leaflet protected under under article 10 of the Human Rights Act.

Should you be supportive of my argument I would be grateful if you could write to the Leader. Council staff and the enforcement team objected to the banner, but only leafleting is mentioned in the penalty notice.

Regards

Andy Walker

New Wing Banner removed at Town Hall today

 

Per the video, Council staff, on the instruction of Redbridge Labour, removed our banner from the Town Hall railings. Should you agree this is unacceptable, perhaps you could make a contribution to the costs of hiring the Town Hall, banner and leaflets at https://gofund.me/caa63986

first draft of letter to Recorder to send after 7th July meeting

 Dear Letters Editors,

Following our meeting at Redbridge Town Hall on 7^th July, we again call on Wes Streeting MP, Secretary of State for Health, to look into releasing additional funding for a new wing at King George and additional staff, instead of the proposed £61M funding cuts and 115 jobs lost shown in the March 2025 Hospitals' board papers.

Critics may say that the country cannot afford the capital outlay and the long-term increase in funding that the wing and additional staffing would incur.   However, we say a look at recent IMF data shows France spending 56% of its national wealth each year on public services, while the UK spends only 44%. 

There is also well-established evidence, both nationally and internationally, that lengthy waiting times in A&E departments are related to worse medical outcomes.  The Office for National Statistics found:

“The relative difference in the risk of post-discharge death after 12 hours in A&E compared with two hours in A&E was greatest for: younger patients (for example, the odds at 12 hours were 4.6 times higher than at two hours for patients aged 20 years), those in London (2.7 times higher), those who attended A&E for reasons to do with their eyes (7.9 times higher), and those who were not admitted to hospital for inpatient care after visiting A&E (2.8 times higher)”

In March 2025, the number of patients waiting more 12 hours in A&E was 1,851 at Queens and and 1,050 at King George Hospital.

 We say these long waits in our hospitals are causing unnecessary deaths.  In order to cope with existing and future increasing demand, a new wing at King George, adequately staffed, is essential to improve the health outcomes in our neighbourhoods.

More information about our campaign including research quoted above is at the Save King George Hospital Blog.

ENDs

IMF at Public Finances in Modern History - Government expenditure, percent of GDP

ONS study at Association between time spent in emergency care and 30-day post-discharge mortality, England - Office for National Statistics

International study at https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6785211/

Flyer for 7th July new wing meeting at Redbridge Town Hall

 

Well done to Bob Archer for producing this.

1) Letters to Ilford and Romford Recorder 2) Guardian Article 100,00 NHS jobs at risk 3) Stakeholder letter 4 Freedom of Information request

1)  This is the letter sent to the local press

Dear Sir or Madam

We are dismayed that the Barking Havering and Redbridge University NHS Trust (BHRUT) responsible for Queens & King George Hospitals is facing a £50M cut to its 25/26 budget which will put 770 NHS jobs at risk as disclosed at the BHRUT March board meeting papers.  The source of these cuts at BHRUT appears to be national NHS guidance dated 30th January 2025 which states “Overall, this means NHS organisations will need to reduce their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity...the NHS will need to reduce or stop spending on some services and functions” Mr Trainer said at the March board meeting about these national cuts: “this is about less for less in some instances as well. Some of the decisions that are going to have to come to this board where we can expect to access the service in a way that we think will cause the least harms and outcomes.” The BHRUT catchment area has some of the poorest wards in England and has a rapidly growing population. In contrast, over in Surrey, the richest county in England, while the budget for Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust has also been cut, the Chief Executive issues no warnings about services being reduced in their March board papers despite national guidance saying to “to stop spending on some services” There has to be a concern that these national cuts are being spread uniformly by area, without poverty and planned population increases caused by new developments being taken into account. That BHRUT is facing these cuts must be wrong and we call on Wes Streeting MP, the Secretary of State to intervene and stop the cuts to our local hospitals.  More information about the campaign and references for the information above is at the Save King George Hospital blogspot.

Bob Archer – Redbridge Trade Unions Council 

Councillor Gillian Ford - Cranham Ward

Redbridge Councillor Rosa Gomez 

Cllr Graham Williamson Havering Cabinet Lead for Development & Regeneration (HRA)

Andy Walker 

2) Guardian Article 100,00 NHS jobs at risk

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/08/hospitals-england-shed-jobs-cost-cutting-nhs is the articile

This is the key extract

"In recent days several NHS trusts have outlined plans to shed hundreds of posts each, in a bid to meet what Taylor has called “challenging” efficiency savings targets for 2025-26.

The trusts, which provide care in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight, plan to cut 798 whole-time equivalent posts, or about 7% of their combined workforce. They hope to save £39m, almost half their combined £82m savings target, the Health Service Journal reported.

Similarly, the trust that runs Bristol’s hospitals intends to shrink its workforce by 2%, in a move that could lead to more than 300 job losses.

NHS England told all 215 trusts to save 5% of their budget for this year through “cost improvement programmes” amid fears the service could overspend its budget by £6.6bn."

I am unsure at time of writing whether this is an additional cut to the one announced by NHS England in January 2025 per extract below:

2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance

In 2025/26, we are giving systems greater financial flexibility to manage constrained budgets. The government has made difficult choices to provide additional funding. While this provides effective real-terms growth in the NHS budget, it must cover final pay settlements for 2025/26, increased employer national insurance contributions, faster improvement on the elective waiting list and new treatments mandated by NICE. Overall, this means NHS organisations will need to reduce their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity, in order to deal with demand growth. NHS England will transfer a higher proportion of funding than ever before directly to local systems and minimise ringfencing, allowing local leaders maximum flexibility to plan better and more efficient services. And, to be clear, all parts of the NHS must now live within their means. ENDS

Or the press story in the Guardian is an additional cut.

 3) BHRUT Stakeholder letter 4th April 2025 at BHRUT site

Thank you to the Councillor who sent me positive newsletter from Mr Trainer to stakeholders. It strikes a different tone to the March 2025 BHRUT board papers, but when read carefully does not contradict the board papers. This appears key extract to me

As I mentioned, the money is extremely difficult – we are anticipating having to make around £60m of savings, around £5m a month which is double the amount we’ve had to save in the previous two years. 

We’re focusing on reducing the £90m bill we face for bank and agency staff and reducing our non-staff costs (drugs, medical equipment etc). 

We know we need to make some difficult decisions over the weeks and months ahead, and there are challenges around urgent and emergency care, and waiting lists for planned treatment. Despite these challenges, however, I’m pleased to finish on the positive note that we expect to meet the latest performance targets set out by NHS England in this year’s planning guidance. 

 4 Freedom of Information request

I am seeking the formula used by NHS England to distribute cuts across England, partilcualry for BHRUT as against Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. Trump has a formula for his tariffs, so I expect the NHS will have a formula to distribute cuts to make sure they are fairly distributed.

It is best to have no cuts, but if they take place it is vital that BHRUT is not discriminated against because of its poor areas and growing population. 

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/formula_for_nhs_cuts#incoming-2979840

Dear NHS England,

The Guardian reported on the 8th April 2025 the following:

"Hospitals in England could axe more than 100,000 jobs as a result of the huge reorganisation and brutal cost-cutting ordered by Wes Streeting and the NHS’s new boss.

The scale of looming job losses is so large that NHS leaders have urged the Treasury to cover the costs involved, which they say could top £2bn, because they do not have the money.

Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England’s new chief executive, has told the 215 trusts that provide health care across England to cut the costs of their corporate functions – such as HR, finance and communications – by 50% by the end of the year." ENDs Quote

I seek under the environmental regulations or freedom of information law the following:

1 - The formula used by NHS England to allocate the cuts across the 215 trusts.

2 - How this formula is calculated at Barking Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

3 - How this formula is calculated at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

On 30th January 2025 the NHS England site announced "2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance"

I quote:

"Overall, this means NHS organisations will need to reduce their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity, in order to deal with demand growth. NHS England will transfer a higher proportion of funding than ever before directly to local systems and minimise ringfencing, allowing local leaders maximum flexibility to plan better and more efficient services. And, to be clear, all parts of the NHS must now live within their means."

I seek under the environmental regulations or freedom of information law the following:

4 The formula used by NHS England to allocate the cuts across the 215 trusts to "reduce their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity"

5- How this formula is calculated at Barking Havering & Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust

6 - How this formula is calculated at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust

7- The Equality Impact Assessments for both the cuts order by Sir Jim Mackey at points 1-3 and the cuts to reduce "their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity" per points 4 - 6

Yours faithfully,

Andy Walker

Report from outside Wes Streeting's office: no to the £50M cuts

 

Many thanks to everyone attending.

The source of the cuts appears to be NHS England per the statement below taken from https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/

I cut and paste key extracts from the  third and final paragraph is bolded and underlined.

NHS productivity also continues to improve, enabling us to deliver more care for patients. Over 2023/24, NHS providers delivered around 5% more activity year-on-year, for 0.12% more income. In the first 7 months of this year the acute sector improved productivity by over 2% – double the improvement rate pre-pandemic. The NHS is on track this year to surpass the £7 billion of efficiencies delivered in 2023/24 – achieved through innovation and reform, continuous improvement, investment in technology, data and new capacity, and better workforce retention. These steps provide the springboard for us to reimagine services as part of the 10 Year Health Plan.

But the timeliness and experience of care is still not good enough. While more people are completing treatment in A&E within 4 hours, a growing number are facing waits of 12 hours or more. In elective care – and in primary, community and mental health services – despite record activity, continued high demand means improvements are not yet nearly enough to allow everyone to access services in a timely or convenient way. And this impacts staff when they can’t provide the quality and experience of care they, and their patients, want.

In 2025/26, we are giving systems greater financial flexibility to manage constrained budgets. The government has made difficult choices to provide additional funding. While this provides effective real-terms growth in the NHS budget, it must cover final pay settlements for 2025/26, increased employer national insurance contributions, faster improvement on the elective waiting list and new treatments mandated by NICE. Overall, this means NHS organisations will need to reduce their cost base by at least 1% and achieve 4% improvement in productivity, in order to deal with demand growth. NHS England will transfer a higher proportion of funding than ever before directly to local systems and minimise ringfencing, allowing local leaders maximum flexibility to plan better and more efficient services. And, to be clear, all parts of the NHS must now live within their means.

Reflecting the Mandate from government and our evolving ways of working, we have also honed national priorities to increase local autonomy. This year’s planning guidance is more focused – setting out a small set of headline ambitions and the key enablers to support organisations to deliver them, alongside local priorities. This reflects the direction of travel towards earned autonomy for systems, with support, oversight and intervention from NHS England based on their specific needs and performance. 2025/26 is a reset moment, and it starts with the planning process – with more autonomy and flexibility comes greater responsibility and accountability.

Difficult decisions will be needed, and we must meet this collective challenge together. To balance operational priorities with the funding available, while continuing to lay foundations for future reforms, the NHS will need to reduce or stop spending on some services and functions and achieve unprecedented productivity growth in others. Open and ongoing conversations will be needed with staff, the public and stakeholders at organisation, place and system level about what it’s going to take to improve productivity, reduce waste and tackle unwarranted variation. We will back local leaders to take tough decisions, where they are clearly rooted in the needs of their populations and best use of available staff, and where all reasonable steps have been taken to maximise resources available for clinical services. Equally, we will challenge organisations who are not able to demonstrate a robust approach to prioritising patient care by bearing down on duplication and waste. 

The cuts outlined above are echoed in the March 2025 BHRUT chief executives report: Mu emphasis

Despite such recruitment – and a £9m reduction in the money spent on agency staff when compared with last year – our financial position remains very difficult. Our deficit in January was £5m worse than we had forecast, due to a reduction in the income we received, a rise in our wage bill and an increase in the money we spent on clinical supplies and drugs. As well as getting a better understanding of why our financial performance deteriorated in a way that we hadn’t anticipated, we also need to deliver at least £50m of savings in the next financial year. Doing even more with less is not a viable option. So, like many other trusts, we will have to reduce what we do to ensure we live within our means. The challenge will be to achieve this in a way that minimises, as best we can, any adverse impact on our residents.

This Mr Trainer reporting on the impact of the £50M cuts below:

The worst case is 770 jobs to go per this extract from the board papers and hence the banner:

Canvassing Redbridge & Havering Councillors to support the campaign against the £50M BHRUT budget cut

 I sent this yesterday

Dear Councillors in Redbridge & Havering

 

Per my earlier email, a substantial contraction of our NHS is planned with a £50M budget cut taking place for the next financial year for King George and Queens Hospitals. This means 770 jobs to go from a staff of 8,000. Mr Trainer, the Chief Executive for King George & Queens made this announcement at the March Barking Havering & Redbridge University Trust board meeting. 

I was outside Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey at my Facebook andywalker19 and twitter andywalker1945 yesterday reporting that that this hospital is not facing cuts. Surrey is the richest county in England, whereas Redbridge has some of the poorest wards in London. This unequal treatment of the hospitals in East London and Surrey cannot be right and it would be great if you could make the photoshoot tomorrow. The campaign against the cuts is a cross party one, with Conservative, Green, Independent, Liberal Democrat & TUSC support. 

 

A report from the photoshoot last week is at the save King George Hospital Blog. It was much appreciated to have the support of Cllr Begum and Keith Prince AM. If you cannot make the photoshoot tomorrow at Wes Streeting's office on Woodford Avenue at 7pm, but if you would to add your name to a letter to the local press please contact me. 

 

First draft of letter is:

 

Dear Letters Editor (Ilford & Romford Recorders)

We are dismayed that the Barking Havering & Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT) responsible for Queens & King George Hospitals is facing a £50M cut to its 25/26 budget which will put 770 NHS jobs at risk as disclosed at their March board meeting. It is particularly concerning that Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, the wealthiest county in England is facing no cuts per its March Board papers. However, the BHRUT catchment area has some of the poorest wards in England. That BHRUT is being singled out for these cuts must be wrong and we call on Wes Streeting MP, the Secretary of state to intervene and stop the cuts to our local hospitals.

ENDS LETTER

 

Any Councillors and campaign supporters

 

For information in letter above: Google frimley health nhs foundation trust board meetings, to find March 7th 2025 board papers and Google BHRUT board papers, to find March 6th board papers 

 

The Chief Executive report responsible for Frimley hospital mentions no cuts, neither are cuts mentioned elsewhere in the papers. The £50M cut is mentioned in the BHRUT board papers under the Chief Executive report. I have copied in both Frimley and BHRUT communications teams should they wish to comment. 

 

Please let me know by Monday 7th April by 9am if you would like to add your name to the letter for the local press which will hopefully allow you time to check my research. 

 

Regards

 

Andy Walker