Around £4million has been pledged to the trust which runs hospitals serving Redbridge to help deal with “unprecedented demand” on care services.

The pay out is part of £700m fund to be distributed by the Department of Health to deal with pressure on services during the winter months.

The trust, which runs King George hospital in Goodmayes and Queen’s hospital in Romford, will spend the money on additional capacity in A&E and its Frail Older Persons Advisory and Liaison Service.

King George hospital's A&E remains earrmarked for closure and BHRUT is currently in special measures with a debt of around £40million.

Deputy Chief Executive Steve Russell said: “This year we are set to receive around £4million winter pressure funding.

“The money is part of the £700m which is being spent to provide more bed space and pay for additional clinical staff across the country this winter.

“We have worked together with our Clinical Commissioning Groups to draw up plans to try and ease pressure on our emergency departments, and ensure our patients receive the best possible care.

 “The whole local health system is joining together to implement these plans to boost performance and support those who need treatment and care.”

Last year over winter, there was more than 48,000 attendances at both A&Es, an average of 533 a day.

In contrast, Barts Health trust, which runs Whipps Cross hospital in Leytonstone amongst five others, received £8.7m.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The NHS is under unprecedented demand, with a million more visits to A&E each year compared to 2010 and 2,000 extra ambulance journeys a day.

"We know the cold weather can bring added pressure so, as in previous years, we’ve given the NHS extra resources to make sure it is better prepared than ever before.

“We are boosting frontline services and expect the NHS to ensure strong performance is delivered locally.”