The works will be taking place from Saturday 20 July to Saturday 14 September. The car park is closed to the public until Saturday 10 August, followed by a phased reopening, as set out in the table below.

Queen's Hospital car parking closure

Floor	20/7	27/7	3/8	10/8	17/8	24/8	31/8	7/9	14/9
Ground	Closed	Closed	Closed	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
1	Closed	Closed	Closed	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
2	Closed	Closed	Closed	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open	Open
3	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Closed	Open
Spaces available	0	0	0	686	686	686	686	686	927

A recent independent health and safety review of the multi-storey car park at Queen’s Hospital highlighted several significant issues which must be resolved by early 2025 to ensure the car park is not at risk of closure.

These include:

• Rooftop level tarmac damaged by the sun, with the surface in some areas described as "cratered".
• Ineffective lighting.
• Inaccessible to wheelchair users and parents with young children due to the heavy weight of the doors.
• Lack of marked walkways and zebra crossings.

When we looked at car park use from last year we found that July and August, during the school summer holidays, was the quietest time of the year and therefore the best time to carry out the work.

The car park will be much safer and more pleasant when it re-opens, with upgraded lighting and CCTV and clearly marked walkways for pedestrians.

The works are being completed one floor at a time, starting with the ground floor. Due to the nature of the works and the equipment in place, we are unable to open floors above those being worked on. The car park will be busy with construction vehicles and staff and it will not be safe or appropriate to have patients or staff in there while the initial work is underway.

We will start to re-open once the ground and first floors are complete.

Please refer to the table above to see how many spaces will be available at each stage of the phased re-opening.

Our accessible car park and oncology car park remain open.

We have 75 accessible bays outside the main entrance to Queen’s and 81 spaces in the oncology car park. The accessible bays are only for blue badge holders, while the oncology car park can only be used by haematology and oncology patients on days when they have appointments.

We will have members of staff near the entrance to the car park every day between 07.00 and 18.00 to direct people to the correct parking area.

Between 07.00 and 18.00, seven days a week, members of staff will be on hand to direct you to the emergency parking area in the creche car park.

Outside these times, press the buzzer at the creche car park entrance to speak to a member of staff.

Our accessible car park in front of the main entrance has 72 spaces for blue badge holders. If you need further support, please speak to a member of staff.

Please note, blue badges can only be used if the holder (the person whose name and photograph is on the badge) is driving or a passenger in the vehicle. It is a criminal offence for you or anyone else to misuse the badge. More information is available on the government website.

If you are in labour and the maternity helpline has advised you to attend the hospital, you should make your way to hospital immediately. Please remember to bring your yellow folder in with you.

If you arrive at hospital and birth is imminent, we have emergency parking available in the creche car park. If you arrive at Queen’s Hospital between 07.00 and 18.00, seven days a week, a member of staff will direct you to the emergency parking area. Outside of peak hours, press the buzzer at the creche car park entrance to speak to a member of staff.

Alternatively, we have a drop-off point outside the maternity entrance. When planning ahead for your labour, please consider if a relative, friend or neighbour could drop you and your birth partner at hospital.

During the first three weeks of the works, we will only have parking available for blue badge holders, oncology patients, dialysis patients and other concessions. The best way to travel in is by bus, as you will be dropped on the hospital grounds and not have to walk far. Alternatively, you can use a council-operated car park; a list of these is available on the Havering Council website.

If you are unable to attend an outpatient appointment due to the works, you can change or cancel your appointment using this form.

Outpatients who attend hospital for an appointment at least three times within a month and for an overall period of at least three months are eligible for free concessionary parking. This includes dialysis patients. Please speak to the department’s senior sister or matron for more information.

We also have a fleet of non-emergency patient transport buses that can pick you up from your home, bring you to hospital, and drop you back after your appointment. Speak to staff in your clinic/department and they will assess if you’re eligible for the patient transport service.

More information on concessionary parking is available on the car parking page.

The oncology and haematology car park will be open as usual, and you can park there for free on days when you have your appointment.

We will have a member of staff near the roundabout at Queen’s Hospital who can direct you to the appropriate location. We have drop-off points outside:

• the main entrance
• the urgent treatment centre (A&E)
• the maternity entrance

Cars cannot be left unattended at the drop-off points and drivers must leave and find a suitable place to park.

The car parking team will be available in emergency situations.

During the works, the best way to travel to Queen’s is by bus. Eight bus routes (5, 128, 175, 193, 365, 496, 498 and 499) come into the hospital grounds and the 103, 174, 248 and 294 all have stops that are less than a 10 minute walk from the hospital. You can plan your bus journey on the Transport for London website.

The hospital is a 15-20 minute walk from Romford rail station. Romford is served by the Elizabeth line, Greater Anglia and London Overground. Several bus routes also run directly from Queen’s Hospital to Romford station.

The hospital is also well connected with the main Romford cycle routes. You can view the Romford cycle route map on the Havering Council website.

For more information on the options available, please visit our “Plan your journey” page.

We are liaising with local businesses and landlords to obtain additional parking spaces. We hope to be able to announce any locations before the work starts.

This land is privately owned and work is underway to prepare it for a large residential development. Only a small part of the site is accessible due to work that has already taken place to prepare for foundations. It will be used for some staff events in early July and then construction work on the site will begin.