Dear Letters Editors,
Following our 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.
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.
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