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 

Photo from today outside King George: No to the £50M cut to our King George And Queens

 Thank you  to Councillor Begum, Imran Ahmed, Andy Walker, Keith Prince AM, RoseMary of the Green Party attending earlier today. 

savekinggeorgehospital.blogspot.com c/o

120 Blythswood Road

Ilford

Essex

IG3 8SG

07956 263088 email: andy.walker@talk21.com

Mr Matthew Trainer

Chief Executive

BHRUT 28.3.25

Dear Mr Trainer

£50M budget cut

The save King George Hospital team are a community group campaigning for a better deal for our local NHS.

We are alarmed at the £50M budget cut planned for the BHRUT budget reported at your March board meeting.

If the threat of the cut has been lifted please could you let us know at your earliest convenience by means of a press release on your website and emailing Andy at the email above.

Regards

Councillor Begum, Imran Ahmed, Andy Walker,  RoseMary Warrington 

My appeal to Cllr Morgan to help King George & Queens Hospitals

 

i

I say:

Good Evening Cllr Morgan

King George & Queens Hospital face a £50M cut to their funding and a loss of 770 jobs per my email sent to you earlier today.

I am a resident of Redbridge so your team may not have forwarded my email of earlier about the cuts to you.

I am contacting you because Cllr Santos, the Redbridge Council member for health will not write to Wes Streeting MP asking him to stop the cuts.

If both yourself and Cllr Rai do not make public representations to Wes Streeting then the campaign to stop these damaging cuts will be on the back foot.

Anything you can do will be much appreciated. ENDs video message

I wrote the following to all Havering Councillors earlier today;

Dear Councillors

 

At the 6th March BHRUT board meeting, Matthew Trainer, the  BHRUT Chief  Executive provided written and verbal reports about the damage the proposed £50M cut to the BHRUT budget would mean to the care provided at Queens and King George Hospitals. In short rather than improving care BHRUT would be managing declining care to do the least harm to patients.

 

I asked Cllr Rai, the Leader of Redbridge Council at the 20th March Redbridge Council meeting to write to Wes Streeting MP to help our hospitals. Cllr Rai delegated his reply to Cllr Santos, the cabinet member for health.

 

Cllr Santos give a detailed reply to my question, outlining his enthusiasm and commitment to the NHS. However, he said now was not the time to write to Wes, but left the option of writing to Wes at a later date.

 

Some you might remember me as part of team that campaigned to keep open King George A&E. At the time many people told me the closure was a done deal, and the A&E would close. Despite the odds being against us, the campaign was won. Today we face a similar situation. Wes Streeting MP appears committed to the £50M cut, nonetheless, if enough of us kick up a fuss the cut can be stopped. 

 

Extracts from the key BHRUT board papers and a video clip of Mr Trainer explaining the damage the cuts will do are at my twitter andywalker and facebook andywalker19. 

 

Should you be sympathetic to stopping the £50M cut I am canvassing for a photo shoot outside Queens this 29th Saturday 10:30am to deliver a letter of support, perhaps you could let me know if you could make it. 

 

If Wes Streeting still persists with the cut then perhaps we should go to his office to hand in a letter to request he reverses the cut on Friday 4th April at 6pm. 

 

Please don't hesitate to contact me on the number below should you have any questions. 

 

 

Regards

 

Andy Walker - 

07956 263088120 Blythswood Road IG3 8SG

I say at video above

"Thank you to Cllr Rai for agreeing to my appeal on X to allow my question to him on Thursday 20^th meeting at Redbridge Town Hall asking him to write to Wes Streeting to stop the 770 NHS jobs to be cut from King George & Queens hospitals.

5 years ago some NHS workers died saving us from covid. We stood at our doors and clapped them for their bravery.

It is incomprehensible to me that Wes is treating our local NHS staff so badly now that they have to worry about losing their jobs when other hospitals appear to be getting more staff.

I will be outside Redbridge Town Hall with a banner at 6.45pm on 20^th March saying no to these dreadful cuts, it would be much appreciated if you could join me and then come into the chamber to hear what Cllr Rai has to say."

I also wrote to the Mayor this morning to say.

Dear Mayor Bain

 

My question has been ruled out of order for full council on the 20th March, due to it being out of time with the new deadline which was last Thursday. Last night at scrutiny, Liz Martins question was ruled out of order by officers, but allowed by the Chair. I request you follow the example of the chair from last night and let me speak on Thursday. My question regards the £50M budget cut for King George & Queens Hospitals. If Wes Streeting does not step in to stop the cut, 770 NHS jobs are set to go. Matthew Trainer, the CE of BHRUT in both his written and verbal report to the BHRUT board makes it clear that care will deteriorate if the cuts are allowed to stand. My twitter account has extracts from both. 

 

Bearing in mind that Matthew reported that February 2025 was the busiest ever month for King George & Queens A&E departments, I say it must be a concern that if cuts  are allowed to stand, to use the NHS jargon "excess deaths" will rise. My question that I am requesting you allow is: 1- Will the Leader write to Wes Streeting MP asking him to stop the £50M cut to the 25/26 BHRUT budget which if not stopped will cause the loss of 770 NHS jobs at King George & Queens Hospitals.

 

Regards

 

Andy

And got this reply later this afternoon

Dear Mr Walker

 

We have reconsidered your request to ask a question at Full Council and have noted that our website was not updated following the Constitutional change to public participation rules at Full Council in January, as such the Council is allowing your first question below as follows:

1- Will the Leader write to Wes Streeting MP asking him to stop the £50M cut to the 25/26 BHRUT budget which if not stopped will cause the loss of 770 NHS jobs at King George & Queens Hospitals.

Stop the 770 NHS job cuts at King George and Queens

 

The good news is that the banner for the stop the 770 job NHS cuts at King George and Queens Hospitals is due to be delivered for the Redbridge Council meeting on the 20^th March

The bad news is that my question for the 20^th March meeting asking for Councillor Rai to help out the campaign to stop the job cuts has been blocked by Redbridge Labour's new restrictive standing orders. 7 days notice of a question is now required. The deadline previously was four days.

However, standing orders can be suspended if the Leader thinks the issue is important enough. So I am appealing to Cllr Rai to allow my question. The local community came together when King George A&E was under threat and we won, I believe if we kick up enough fuss, Wes will step in and do the right thing and stop these unnecessary nasty cuts.

Should these NHS job cuts go through, then the sick, the frail and the elderly will suffer and to use the NHS jargon “excess deaths” seem bound to rise.

So Kam, please help out with the campaign and allow my question and even better issue a statement to ask Wes Streeting to intervene to stop the job cuts at King George and Queens Hospital.

Photo shoot Thursday 25th July 6:30pm meet for a 6:45pm photo outside Redbridge Town Hall

 Following our meeting of 15th July I have this question to be tabled to Cllr Athwal at his last meeting as Council Leader on the 25th July.

1. Will the Leader agree, in light of the public meeting for a new wing for King George Hospital on the 15th July and BBC report saying corridor care is becoming the new normal at Queens to lead a march from King George to this Town Hall campaigning for a new wing for King George for maternity to return and more in-patient beds?

I will have our new wing our banner outside the Town Hall at 6:30pm with a photo shoot at 6;45pm to encourage Jas to lead the campaign.

Report from New Wing for King George Meeting

Many thanks to everyone speaking and attending last night. The Town Hall backed off the ban on our banner being removed from  the Town Hall railings. Despite being told earlier in the day the banner would be removed, the Town Hall had a change of heart and our banner was left in place per the pic below: Ashburn Holder of the Lib-Dems sent apologies due to illness and Syed Siddiqi of the Greens sent apologies for having to continue to work in his NHS job and Mohammed Asif whose family responsibilities prevented his attendance.  

Unfortunately my phone camera did not work inside, but I hope to have some photos shortly.

The video of the meeting is below:

There were calls for the floor for a march so I will post more about this in due course.