Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) plans to temporarily close two adult inpatient wards heading into summer – one at Queen’s Hospital in Romford and one at King George Hospital in Goodmayes.

This reduction in bed capacity is part of the trust’s 2025/26 annual plan, published on Wednesday (June 18), which sets out its goals and priorities for the year.

According to the annual plan document, the closure is expected to save BHRUT a total of £4.5 million.

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It does not make it clear how long the wards would be shut, but states that staff would be redeployed to elsewhere in the hospital.

The annual plan lays out six goals for the year, including delivering “high-quality, patient centred care”, creating a diverse workplace and addressing the inequalities experienced by staff and patients.

The wards closure sits within the section called “make better use of resource to get financially fit”, with BHRUT aiming to make £61 million in savings and break even in 2025/26.

In a statement released alongside the plan, BHRUT said the coming year will be “extremely tough financially”, which will “impact on the services we provide”.

The annual plan document said: “As we enter what is expected to be one of the most financially demanding years for the NHS, our ambition remains clear.

“We know the scale of the challenge: delivering £61m of savings, double the level achieved in recent years, will require relentless focus, strong governance, and difficult choices.

“Our track record over the past two years gives us a strong foundation to build on.”

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Other proposals set out in the document include cutting agency staff by more than a third and ending additional recruitment and retention payments.

BHRUT will also introduce a new electronic patient record in September, designed to help the trust become “more streamlined and efficient”.

Matthew Trainer, BHRUT’s chief executive, said: “Our annual plan and goals help us focus on what we want to achieve in the coming year to improve patient care, and to make our hospitals a better place to work for our staff.

“We’ve made lots of progress in the last 12 months, including cutting our agency staff spend by £11m thanks to appointing into more substantive posts, helping us achieve a more permanent and stable workforce.”