ACCIDENT and emergency departments in Redbridge have been judged among the worst in the country, according to a survey of patients.

The Health Care Commission took responses from just under 50,000 patients who had visited different A&E departments across the country between January and March last year.

Those in the London were rated as the worst, with Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust (BHRT) doing particularly badly, coming near the bottom of the capital’s list.

The results were calculated by converting responses to particular questions into scores, which were then compared to benchmark results from all other trusts.

Of the 33 areas surveyed, ranging from communication with staff to privacy, BHRT was placed in the 20 per cent of London trusts with the lowest scores on 28 occasions.

Waiting times proved to be of particular concern among patients, as did issues surrounding pain control and how they were treated by staff, with many patients reporting feelings of a lack of dignity and respect during their visit.

In fact, the trust only reached the satisfactory middle band of scores with responses given to questions asked about ease of parking and general cleanliness.

Former chairman of the Redbridge patient and public involvement forum Dharem Sahdev said: “There are some serious points to be raised on this.

“One is insufficient staff in A&E departments and the other is why so many people are going there in the first place.

“GP practices are not doing their jobs properly and I think we need an urgent meeting between the Trust and the PCT.”

A spokesman for BHRT said: “These results are obviously disappointing, and not as we would have liked. However, it is important to note that this survey dates back to the beginning of 2008.

“At this time the Trust was not meeting government targets for waiting times in Accident and Emergency, “Since then, considerable effort has been spent on improving the situation.

“We are working with our partner PCTs to improve out of hospital care, and we have increased both community and acute hospital bed capacity in comparison with last winter.”