Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will provide funding to improve the accident and emergency department at Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

National Health Service commissioners are responsible for delivery, implementation, and funding decisions for services. Therefore, in this case, the commissioning body responsible would be the North East London Health and Care Partnership Integrated Care Board (ICB), rather than the Department.

The North East London Health and Care Partnership ICB has been provisionally allocated £24 million for constitutional standards recovery in 2025/26, as part of our £1.65 billion capital investment to support NHS performance across secondary and emergency care. This will fund new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds, to create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community. The £1.65 billion capital investment also includes £26 million to open new mental health crisis centres, reducing pressure on accident and emergency services.

In addition, the ICB has been provisionally allocated £107.5 million in operational capital funding, including primary care business-as-usual capital, for 2025/26, to be prioritised according to local needs, such as investing in hospital infrastructure.

Departmental budgets beyond 2025/26 will be set through Phase 2 of the Spending Review, which will conclude and be published in late spring 2025.