An MP has claimed that patients are being treated “on trollies in corridors”
The St Helier Hospital in Sutton was built in 1938, making it older than the NHS itself(Image: Simon/London Less Travelled)
MPs in Surrey and South East London are calling for the urgent expansion of a hospital’s Emergency Department amid what they call a growing crisis in waiting times and a delayed redevelopment.
Liberal Democrat MPs in Sutton and the surrounding areas have launched a petition over the state of St Helier Hospital’s A&E after recent figures released by the NHS display waiting times which they describe as “dangerous”.
The NHS has recently released its waiting time data for hospitals across the country, in which it was revealed that 18,600 patients waited over 12 hours for treatment at Epsom and St Helier Hospitals in 2025.
The MPs frustration comes against the backdrop of the delayed redevelopment of the St Helier Hospital, which is now not expected to take place until 2033.
This is in spite of the fact that it has previously been reported that staff have had to work in facilities with damp, mould, leaking roofs, and flooding.
The St Helier Hospital in Sutton was built in 1938, making it older than the NHS itself(Image: Simon/London Less Travelled)
In the meantime, the MPs for areas such as Sutton and Carshalton believe an immediate expansion of A&E capacity in the hospital, which is older than the NHS itself, is essential to reducing waiting times.
Liberal Democrat MP for Sutton and Cheam, Luke Taylor said: “I’m sick to the back teeth of the government’s inaction on the crumbling walls, dilapidated ceilings and patients being treated on trollies in corridors at St Helier.
“Anyone in their right mind can see that St Helier’s A&E department needs urgent investment to avoid an already bad situation sliding into a catastrophe.
“The staff who work so hard to deliver the best possible care need the government to have their backs, and the patients suffering deserve to see real change.
“We need this money now – and the new hospital building we were promised by the last government needs to be brought forward. The better part of a decade is far too long to wait.”
Images of the hallways in St Helier’s Hospital, where staff are reportedly working in areas with damp mould, leaking roofs, and floods.(Image: St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals (GESH))
Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington, Bobby Dean echoed this sentiment: “St Helier’s A&E is at breaking point. Twelve-hour waits and corridor care have become routine. This crisis is a damning failure of the system and an experience no patient should have to endure.
“The Government must act now and fund an immediate expansion of A&E capacity. I am in regular contact with the hospital’s management team, and they are clear: this is their number one priority.”
The NHS Trust at Epsom and St Helier hospitals have declared ‘critical incidents’ at its A&E multiple times in the last six months where they asked the public to only attend if their condition is serious or life threatening.
The Lib Dems claim the plans could be funded by redirecting money from other NHS projects which have been delayed or cancelled, meaning it could be delivered without additional cost to taxpayers.
A petition has been launched on the Sutton Liberal Democrats website, asking for the public’s support in calling on the Government to expand St Helier Hospital’s A&E.
Previous Government funding for improvements to the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals have been descrived as a “drop in the ocean” by local MPs (Image: St Helier Hospital)(Image: St George’s, Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals (GESH))
St Helier Hospital in Sutton was built in 1938, making it older than the NHS itself and its facilities have been described as “crumbling”, “dilapidated” and “not fit for 21st century healthcare”.
It has been in line for redevelopment for a number of years, however this was recently delayed, and is not expected to take place until 2033, which bosses at the NHS Trust have called “decades of false promises”, claiming it is “only a matter of time” before much of the building is unsafe for patients.
In June 2025 its was announced that the hospitals in Epsom and Sutton would receive just over £12 million of the Government’s £750 million in capital funding for 2025 to 2026 to address “critical infrastructure and safety risks” in NHS facilities.
Lib Dem MP for Epsom & Ewell, Helen Maguire said at the time that this £12m would “barely touch the sides” of the backlog of repairs required at the hospitals, which “amounts to £150 million”.
The St George’s, Epsom and St Helier Hospital Group (GESH) NHS Trust did not provide a comment to SurreyLive in relation to the MPs’ concerns. However it did confirm the accuracy of the waiting time figures.