Stakeholder update from Chief Executive (Interim) Fiona Wheeler: 9 October 2026
I was proud to see our work to reduce the time our patients spend in corridors recognised nationally at NHS England's corridor care event.
Colleagues spoke about their experiences and shared our approach to reducing corridor care as a whole hospital issue. Our work was referenced by Professor Tim Briggs, Chair of the GIRFT programme, and other trusts were keen to hear more about our initiatives.
We know there is more to do. At King George Hospital, a new pilot has launched - 'Hard Stop' – with the aim of no longer treating patients in corridors. I hope to share some positive updates with you soon, as well as news about the £42million funding to redesign the A&E at Queen's.
Another key element is making sure our frail elderly patients get the specialist care they need as quickly as possible, and our Frailty Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) service, which has increased in capacity, is making a real difference. Patients can move quickly from A&E into a dedicated area where they are cared for by a multidisciplinary team.
Around 35% of patients seen by the service would otherwise have remained in A&E. Instead, they spend an average of seven hours in Frailty SDEC before going home or moving into an appropriate community setting.
Importantly, patients are telling us they value the care they receive on the unit.
Emergency medicine, alongside geriatric and internal medicine, are areas where we have seen a significant improvement in the General Medical Council National Training Survey 2026 for resident doctors. Overall satisfaction was 75.64% - the highest we’ve scored in six years, highlighting our strengths in providing effective clinical and educational support.
Since the results were published, NHS London's Education Quality team produced a shortlist of medical training programmes and specialties that have shown the most consistent good performance or sustained improvement from 2023 to 2026 and I'm delighted we were part of this.
Lastly, I am pleased to welcome Robin Meltzer as the new Chief Executive of the King George & Queen’s Hospitals Charity who joins from the Royal Free Charity. He joins on 14 October, and I’m looking forward to working closely with him. I’d also like to thank Barbara Kasumu for her leadership as Interim CEO.