The boss of a trust where a child recently spent over two months in A&E has urged other local system leaders to take “urgent action” to help resolve the “shameful situation” concerning vulnerable children.
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust CEO Matthew Trainer said “the scale of these challenges” concerning children experiencing long waits in A&E “probably need[ed] a regional solution across London”.
He has announced he will write to North East London Integrated Care Board’s CEO, Nnenna Osuji, to call for urgent action.
A&Es were “increasingly becoming the default place of safety” for children either suffering mental health crises or experiencing a breakdown in their care placements, he said.
He added: “This is a shameful situation, and it is getting worse every year. These children do not need hospital care. They need a place to live, but no other part of the health and care system can provide them with a roof over their heads.”
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Source: HSJ, 11 May 2026
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