MPs fought it out in the House of Commons on what are the most urgent issues with the Barking, Havering, Redbridge University Trust and how they could be resolved.

Mike Gapes (Ilford South), Wes Streeting (Ilford North), Jon Cruddas (Dagenham and Rainham), and Margaret Hodge (Barking), took centre stage last week when they revealed what they think should be done to tackle the problems facing the NHS trust.

Mr Gapes began the debate setting the scene on the state the trust is in, describing the great pressure it is under and made a point of how “clearly, Queen’s (Hospital) cannot cope” with the demand.

He said the strain on the Rom Valley Way hospital stems from the “uncertainty” of the future of King George’s A&E department.

Mr Cruddas said the trust has existed in a “challenging environment” and the best way forward would be to focus on primary care, providing more facilities for GPs.

Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have said “significant progress” has been made since the trust went into special measures.

However, Mr Streeting voiced his concerns of the impact the report has had, giving the trust a “poor reputation”, making it difficult to recruit new members of staff. Mrs Hodge said the trust is in a “financial mess” with millions of pounds spent every month on employing agency staff.

Chief Executive Matthew Hopkins said he was “delighted” that BHRUT staff were praised for their efforts during the debate.