A doctor has warned patients “could be hurt” if nothing is done to deal with staff shortages.

Dr Mahir Khalil, of Oak Street, Romford, is an anesthetist who alternates between working at King George Hospital in Goodmayes and Queen’s Hospital in Romford.

His job is to take on patients referred to him by the Accident and Emergency department with immediate emergency concerns, for example problems with their airways.

Having worked for the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT) for ten years, he said the hospitals have come under significantly more pressure in the last few years.

Dr Khalil said the health service always sees extra pressure on services in winter, but this year it has been particularly bad.

He said: “Over Christmas especially, the intensity of work was really tough with about 25 per cent more patients, but with the same amount of staff to treat them.

“Our shifts are 12 hours long and it is so intense because of the sheer number of patients, it stretches the staff and I worry there will be mistakes because of this pressure leading to someone being hurt.

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“We only have a limited number of beds too, so there were times over Christmas that we had to refer patients back to A&E, and we all know the pressures they are under there.”

BHRUT is currently in special measures with a debt found last year to be around £40m and King George A&E is still earmarked for closure.

The trust received £4m extra winter funding to deal with the expected increase in patients but Dr Khalil said this was not spent on bringing in more staff.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series: Places like King George Hospital in Ilford is where most people in the borough will end up dying, according to the new report.

The accident and emergency department at King George Hospital in Goodmayes has been earmarked for closure, despite high levels of demand

King George's accident and emergency department has been earmarked for closure, with critics saying demand on services in the area  are too high. 

The 50-year-old said: “We heard about the extra money and it should have been spent on recruiting staff as I believe this is the biggest issue.

"There are two factors for why the NHS is in such a predicament, simply there is not enough money which means there is not enough staff in each department.

“I would say we need 10 per cent more staff in total, which would be an extra member of staff for each department across the two hospitals.

“At the moment patients are just not getting the care they need so with 10 per cent more staff, I believe you would see an immediate improvement in the quality of their care.”

In a new series on the NHS, the Guardian will feature experiences of patients, their families and staff of treatment provided across east London and west Essex. As A&Es continue to struggle with demand and politicians argue over the future of healthcare, we will publish first-hand accounts, features and news stories on the latest developments. We want to hear from you if you have something to say about your local hospital, GP surgery, or clinic. Click here for contact details of reporters covering your area. Alternatively, you can submit a story here.