Critical incident declared at King's Lynn hospital over fresh roof concerns

A critical internal incident has been declared at Lynn's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, amid fresh concerns over the condition of the building's roof, it has emerged this evening.

Officials say a "small number" of patients have been moved from the critical care unit at the Gayton Road site to enable emergency repairs to be carried out.

But they have stressed that seriously ill patients can be, and are still being treated, at the site.

The incident is the second in three months in which managers have been forced to close part of the hospital because of the condition of its roof structure.

In December, two wards were temporarily closed after bends were discovered in some of the concrete planks used in its construction.

Then, in January, it emerged that 20 steel props were being used across eight different areas of the hospital.

Sources at the hospital said the issue in the critical care unit "requires immediate attention", and was identified during a routine inspection carried out as part of the trust's continuing programme of estate works.

They added: "In order to continue to provide the highest quality care, we are temporarily moving a small number of patients to enable us to carry out the required works.”

But the incident is bound to increase demands for the hospital to be fully rebuilt, following the launch of the Back The Bid, Build Our Future campaign before Christmas.

The QEH missed out on the initial list of 40 planned new hospitals announced by the Government last autumn, though it is hoped they could still get onto a further list of eight earmarked for investment.

Last week, letters from two government ministers, which urged QEH bosses to continue building their case for a rebuild, were released.