King George Hospital's A&E department could shortly stop accepting patients at night and is scheduled to close completely in 2015.

Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust (BHRUT), which runs the site in Goodmayes, made the announcement this week but said the 2015 date was "provisional" and that no firm decisions had been made.

The closure has been bitterly opposed by campaigners, who say patients will suffer and die unnecessarily if they have to travel further to attend an A&E department.

But health bosses say the move will allow resources to be transferred to the A&E department at Queen's Hospital in Romford, strengthening the overall quality of care for people in the region.

However the move had been put on hold amid concerns Queen's is not yet ready to cope with taking on extra patients.

In a statement, a trust spokeswoman said: “No decision has been taken on a night closure and no date has been set.

"However, the CQC has said we need “radical thinking” with commissioners to bring about the urgent improvement needed for our patients, particularly before the busier autumn and winter period.

"We must consider this as an option, because very few patients come to King George in a blue light ambulance at night and we have to use our staff to best meet the community’s needs.

"For the majority of patients needing urgent care, there would be no change to 24/7 provision."

She added: “There are no plans to discontinue urgent care at King George, and even after the full 24 hour closure of the A&E, the majority of patients will continue to receive treatment 24/7 in the enhanced Urgent Care Centre.”

The trust says it felt had to set a provisional date for the closure of the A&E department to allow it to plan for a "safe and seamless transfer of services" to Queen's.