Home / Disasters and Accidents / Hospital Fire: 500 Patients Evacuated Safely
Hospital Fire: 500 Patients Evacuated Safely
13 Feb
Summary
- An electrical fire at Southampton General Hospital on February 1st triggered a major incident.
- Over 500 patients were safely evacuated within 40 minutes by staff and firefighters.
- The hospital is operating with 150 fewer beds due to the ongoing recovery efforts.
An electrical fire that broke out in the west wing of Southampton General Hospital on February 1st led to a major incident declaration. This incident, signifying a serious threat requiring multi-agency response, has now been stood down and transitioned to a recovery phase.
Within a remarkable 40 minutes, hospital staff and emergency services successfully evacuated over 500 patients to safer areas across the hospital site. This swift action ensured the well-being of all patients during the emergency.
University Hospital Southampton is now prioritizing getting medically fit patients discharged. The hospital is currently operating with a significant deficit of 150 beds, impacting its capacity. Despite this, demand for services remains high.
James Lowell, chief delivery officer at NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight, praised the system-wide efforts supporting UHS. "Acute and community hospitals, urgent treatment centres, GP practices, the ambulance service and local authority social care colleagues have all stepped up," he stated.
An ambulance diversion to other hospitals was in effect for over 31 hours, during which 211 patients were transferred. Most outpatient appointments are proceeding as scheduled unless patients are otherwise notified.
