A plant room fire at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre (BHOC), part of the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI), early on 10 May, saw the evacuation of 53 patients to other wards in the BRI and the Bristol Heart Institute.
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust said the fire, which started at around 1.00 a.m., had caused ‘extensive smoke damage’. All patients and staff were, however, ‘safe’, with patients being cared for ‘in other areas’ of the Trust’s facilities
The Trust said on 10 May: “The fire has had a knock-on effect on many of our hospitals, and our services are under considerable pressure. Patients are thus being diverted away from the adults’ Emergency Department, although the children’s Emergency Department and the Bristol Eye Hospital Emergency Department are open as usual. We have cancelled planned procedures and radiotherapy planned for today, and are contacting all patients booked for urgent care to make arrangements with them. Outpatient appointments in the children’s hospital and for adult medicine and surgery continue as normal.”
A day later ‘good progress had been made’ towards planning how the BHOC would be re-opened, with the Trust working towards giving all clinical teams access by late the following week for ‘checks and infection control procedures’. By 11 May power had been restored to much of the BHOC by generators. The Trust hoped to have power restored to the entire building in the week commencing 21 May.
Provision was made locally elsewhere for patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
