A petition of 3,000 signatures was presented to staff at Queen’s Hospital on Wednesday thanking them for their work.

The signatures were collected in Romford, Hornchurch and Upminster over five mornings by action group Havering Loves the NHS.

Spokesman for the group, Garry Carol, said: “It was easy because people in Havering feel so positive about Queen’s Hospital. The response was overwhelmingly positive.”

He added that comments made included “I can’t say enough good about Queen’s” and “Queen’s saved my life”.

The petition was handed to Matthew Hopkins, chief executive of Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, which runs the hospital in Rom Valley Way, Romford.

Mr Carol added: “The response from the staff was very positive. They were very pleased to receive the petition. It’s always nice to know the work you do is appreciated.”

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Hopkins said: “This morning I have felt really quite overwhelmed by the gratitude and goodwill of our local communities.

“For my teams to get this feedback first-hand from our patients is amazing and a real testament to their hardwork and their efforts to make sure that we provide outstanding services. It is a real privilege to be chief executive at Queen’s and King George hospitals.”

The action group , which meets monthly, will now look at campaigning and raising awareness about health matters.

Mr Carol said it had concerns about the health service nationally and locally, particularly with regards to recruitment and retention of staff as well as capacity.

He said: “We will all end up at Queen’s, or our families will, and when they get there you want them to get the best possible care. That’s what the hospital wants and we want to help.”

If you are interested in joining Havering Loves the NHS visit facebook.com/haveringnhs