Residents were able to voice their anger over the future of the Queen’s Hospital at a public meeting to discuss controversal plans to close two units at King George Hospital and divert services to Queen’s.

More than 60 people attended the meeting about the hospital in Rom Valley Way, Romford, at Wykeham Hall in Market place, Romford on Friday (July 8).

The meeting saw cross-party MPs from Havering and Redbridge uniting against the plans for the Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust.

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell said: “In all my years as an MP I have never known there to be so much support of any one issue, but in this case we are all standing strong and such is the strenght of our campaign that none of us will rest until King George is safe and Queen’s is left to serve Havering and King George to serve Redbridge.”

Speakers included London Assembly member for Redbridge and Havering, Roger Evans, and Ilford South MP Mike Gapes, Ilford North MP Lee Scott and Leyton and Wanstead John Cryer.

Members of the public were also given their chance to talk about their experiences at Queen’s.

One resident said: “If King George Hospital does closes the problems in Havering with the transport are just going to be aggrevated and become even worse because we are just going to have more people coming into the borough.”

Havering Cllr Denis O’ Flynn (Lab, Heaton) said: “I have been fighting this for 50 odd years because from day one when the national health service was born, we have been trying to stop cuts like this happening.”

The meeting asked residents whether patients at Queen’s particularly those in maternity and A&E are currently safe and whether patients would be safe if King George A&E and maternity units close and patients are diverted to Queen’s.

A full investigation into whether the trust is protecting people against the risk of unsafe care was launched last week by the independent assessors Care Quality Commission (CQC)