It’s been a long fight – and one I’ve helped to lead – so I’m delighted and relieved that it looks like the threat of closure of our A&E at King George Hospital will be finally lifted.

Next week a proposal to lift the closure will be considered by the Joint committee of the Clinical Commissioning Groups for Redbridge, Barking & Dagenham and Havering.

This is a big moment. It means the debate will now shift to what A&E provision at King George looks like, instead of how and when it is closed. It also means we can shift our focus to a much-needed look at the whole NHS coverage in Redbridge – from GP access to waiting times for operations.