Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he would like to replicate the model of our Urgent Treatment Centre at King George Hospital in Emergency Departments across the country after seeing and hearing about the work that’s going on there.

The MP for Ilford North was shown around by our colleagues at PELC and was impressed by the work they’re doing to treat patients much quicker.

With the help of PELC, a GP cooperative which runs both our UTCs at Queen’s and King George, our overall A&E performance has gone from one of the worst in the country to the top 20 in recent months and the second best in London.

Between 70 to 80% of patients we see in our A&Es come via our UTC. Once assessed by clinicians, patients will either be seen in our A&E if they require more urgent care, be treated in the UTC and be discharged, or be sent home and referred to their GP or other health services in the community.

Wes Streeting said:

It was great to see first-hand the difference that the Urgent Treatment Centre is making to getting patients seen faster, triaged more effectively, and having faster access to the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

It not only improves the patient’s experience but eases the pressure on the emergency department at the same time. This is a great model that I would like to see replicated across the country.

Mr Streeting also learned about the department’s significant impact on patients arriving at our A&Es with chest pain. Thanks to rapid assessment and testing by clinicians in our Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC), nine out of ten patients are not anything serious and receive reassurance and the care they need much sooner, avoiding long waits in A&E, where the most critically ill patients are prioritised.

In December 2024, PELCs performance across our UTCs was 98.8% despite it being our busiest ever month with nearly 31,000 patients seeking urgent and emergency care at our Emergency Departments at both sites.

PELCs improvements have been helped by an increase in the number of doctors at both sites thanks to additional investment from NHS North East London.

And we’ve also worked closely with colleagues to change how we use space within the UTC, A&E and hospital to improve how patients access their service.

Steve Rubery, Chief Executive of PELC, said:

It was great to welcome the Health Secretary and hear his positive comments about the excellent work being undertaken by staff in our UTCs to improve patient care and experience, and reduce the pressure on the Emergency Departments

It’s great for my team to get this recognition and we’re continuing to focus and work together with BHRUT to ensure local residents get the care they need in the best environment.

Fiona Wheeler, our Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Operating Officer, added:

It’s brilliant to see the impact our work with PELC is having on patients across both of our hospitals and to get further recognition from the Health Secretary about all the work we’re doing.

Our relationship is vital and has seen real improvements to patients accessing urgent and emergency care. As a result, patients are being seen much quicker in a more suitable and comfortable environment.