QEF to Close After 90 Years as Epsom MP Seeks Answers
The Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation for Disabled People (QEF), the long-established disability charity based in Leatherhead, has announced it will enter administration after a 28-day wind-down period, bringing an end to more than nine decades of specialist support for people with disabilities in Surrey and across the country.
QEF said the decision follows “severe financial challenges” and comes after a year of exploring options to stabilise its position. The charity supports nearly 10,000 people annually through neuro-rehabilitation, mobility services and specialist residential care.
Founded in 1934 with the support of the then-Duchess of York (who became Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother), QEF has been a significant presence in the local community for generations. Its closure raises immediate questions about the future care of residents and clients who rely on its services, and about the national pressures facing the disability-care sector.
Local Epsom and Ewell MP Helen Maguire said she was “deeply saddened” by the announcement, calling QEF “a cornerstone of our community in Leatherhead” and praising the “wonderful person-centred care” provided by its staff. She said she had seen the charity’s impact first-hand during a visit earlier this year.
According to QEF’s own statements, the organisation has faced rising staffing costs, recruitment pressures, and funding constraints from statutory bodies. The charity reported that despite efforts to improve its financial position, “there wasn’t a viable solution” to meet the scale of the challenge.
Mrs Maguire said she has been in “regular conversation” with QEF leadership in recent days to see whether a last-minute solution was possible. “It was conveyed to me that, sadly, the shutdown process is already fully in motion,” she said. She confirmed she has written to the Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, seeking an urgent meeting to discuss the circumstances of the closure and the wider lessons for the sector.
Her immediate focus, she said, is “ensuring continuity of care for both patients and staff”. QEF has said the 28-day wind-down period is intended to give time for residential clients to be found suitable alternative placements.
The charity’s closure will leave a notable gap in specialist provision in the region. QEF employed around 250 people and operated from modern facilities in Leatherhead after a major redevelopment earlier in the decade. Its departure will add pressure to already stretched NHS and social care services that rely on external specialist providers.
Image: QEF street sign. Google street view