Combustible materials in the walls at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, have the potential for “rapid fire spread”, a survey found – but the trust in charge says it is confident that it has the measures in place to keep patients and staff safe.
Papers from the last board meeting of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, which was held in July, revealed that fire safety risks had been discovered across the hospital.
Surveys of external walls and cladding identified the presence of combustible materials, missing or incorrectly installed cavity barriers as well as building design features – such as hospital wings built parallel to each other – which could help fire spread more quickly.
The trust also identified failures by staff to maintain effective fire evacuation procedures throughout its premises. It has assured patients it has “robust fire safety arrangements in place” across all of its sites.
All of these deficiencies could increase the likelihood and speed of fire spread, according to the NHS trust, which it says raises the potential for “serious injury or loss of life” as well as “major disruption to clinical services”.
More specific fire safety risks were identified within St Nicholas House, a block of flats on the hospital campus, including issues with fire doors. All but one of the 67 tenants have been moved out..
The trust, which also runs Lewisham Hospital, also identified failures within its own fire safety management processes across all of its premises.
This included concerns regarding the quality and completion of fire risk assessments and evacuation planning arrangements. Fire doors and alarms at Lewisham were also found to be in need of maintenance. There was the “potential for serious harm to patients, staff and visitors”, the report found.
The trust commissioned a more comprehensive study of Queen Elizabeth Hospital to discover exactly what work is needed, which is due to be completed in March. It hopes to have the work finished in 2029, but the London Fire Brigade has raised concerns about the pace of the plans, saying it could consider enforcement action.
Detailed surveys are of Lewisham’s fire doors are due to be completed this month, while new evacuation plans at both hospitals are due to be ready by March.
Earlier this year campaigners had raised concerns about the private finance agreement (under which Queen Elizabeth Hospital was built 25 years ago. The buildings were converted from a military hospital by Meridian Healthcare, which has a contract to maintain the site until 2030. But there has been a long-term dispute between the trust and Meridian over how the building is looked after.
A Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust spokesperson said: “We have robust fire safety arrangements in place across our sites and are committed to ensuring that our buildings are safe for all who use them.
“These arrangements are regularly reviewed as part of our assurance and risk management processes, and we are transparent about any resulting concerns and mitigations, working closely with the London Fire Brigade as needed.
“As disclosed, there are concerns about elements of the external wall and cladding system at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. These concerns are being actively and safely managed through a range of regularly reviewed, enhanced fire safety measures and controls, while we work with the building owner to develop and implement a long-term programme of remediation.
“We are confident that we have the right measures in place to effectively reduce and manage the concerns and keep Queen Elizabeth Hospital safe for those who use it.”
Cameron Blackshaw is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich and Bexley. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media.
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