The chief executive of a health trust which has been the subject of several critical reports from a health watchdog has praised her staff for taking action to turn things around.

Averil Dongworth was speaking at a special conference organised by the Barking Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT) to mark International Nurses and Midwives’ Day on May 12.

The trust oversees King George Hospital in Goodmayes where maternity services have recently closed and transferred to Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

The switch was only given the green light after the trust met a stringent set of targets set out by the Care Quality Commission.

Plans to move A&E services from King George to Queen’s are still on hold following a CQC report published in January which concluded that the A&E department was providing patients with ‘unacceptably poor care’.

The latest figures show that 86 per cent of patients at the trust’s A&E departments were seen within four hours of arrival, some way below the target figure of 95 per cent.

But Averil Dongworth said: “It is important to take time out on International Nurses' and Midwives' Day to look how far we've come over the last few months.

“The organisation has received criticisms and the staff have listened to our patients and taken action to turn services around. I would like to say thank you to all the nurses who have been part of this change.”

BHRUT also announced it would be investing an extra £3 million into nursing.

The extra funds will be invested in nursing leadership and improved levels of registered nursing at night on wards.

The Trust has also recruited an extra five nurses to treat cancer patients.

Flo Panel-Coates, Director of Nursing at BHRUT, said:  “Nurses at BHRUT want to provide the best possible care for our patients at all times.

“This extra investment into front-line nursing will help them do this.

“I’m very proud of the contribution our nurses and midwives make every day, and today is a perfect day to celebrate this work and build up their capacity to serve the community in the future”.

Awards were handed out to staff in recognition of their contribution to the Trust.

Among the recipients were the staff of the Surgical Assessment Unit at Queen’s Hospital.

Flo Panel-Coates said: "Staff on the SAU have impressed us with their can do attitude, they have supported our A&E enormously with their contributions.

"They have introduced new ways of working which have made a huge difference to all of our wards and staff."