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| Southampton General Hospital Photo: Southampton Independents |
In the recent Major Incident fire at Southampton General Hospital, the Endoscopy Unit was completely destroyed.
In an apology on the Hospital's Gastroenterology website, they have said this happend "unfortunately".
Huge Impact of Fire
As reported widely, hundreds of patients had to be evacuated and over one hundred firefighters struggled to get the incident under control for several hours.
Hospital staff have verified to Southampton Independents that vulnerable patients have suffered their health as a result of the incident. It is worth noting from huge bodies of clinical evidence, that it is a clinical fact that moving vulnerable people when ill, can negatively affect their health.
Southampton Independents is verifying with patients what impacts this might be, for example from smoke inhalation, and verifying with staff.
The Incident has affected the entire Region of the NHS. It has also affected the City Council, according to the Local Democracy Reporter Jason Lewis.
No Sprinklers and No Adequate Fire Safety Measures and No Major Incident Practice
In the opinion of fire safety campaigner Andrew Pope, he says:
"The fire could have been much less worse if they had had sprinklers, and possibly avoided completely if they had adequate fire safety measures in place. But they didn't. Today, I have discovered that they had not practiced for a Major Incident for some time. This is in the agenda and minutes of today's Trust Board. And it was identified at the November Trust Board to be "looked at". This is the language of dither and delay, not of safety critical action."
Will the SGH get a new endoscopy unit?
Yes, Southampton Independents can exclusively reveal. Andrew Pope has learned from sources close to the Hospital that a new endoscopy unit is being created. It is being installed using mobile units at the Hospital and at Adanac Park.
Andrew says:
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| Andrew Pope Pointing Out Fire Safety Breaches in Shirley Towers Photo: Southampton Independents |
"You will never guess where this endoscopy unit is being built!
Where else have I been investigating the Park and Ride? At Adanac Park!
A source told me, and I have verified onsite with staff and in documentary evidence, that a new endoscopy unit is being built on the land that I have suggested should be used for expanding the Park and Ride.
This land is right next to the existing Park and Ride facilities.
But because of the lack of fire safety in the destroyed unit, to add to the huge regional disruption caused by the fire, more public money is being spent on the new endoscopy unit!
If the SGH CEO and Trust Board had installed sprinklers, the impact would be nowhere near as bad as it has been.
I am continuing my campaign to get sprinklers installed, and to make it mandatory for hospitals by law in England."
Southampton Independents has given the right of reply to University Hospitals Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the SGH. They have still not made a statement, but have been asked again.
UPDATE: In a previous version of this article, the link to the apology was not implemented correctly. It has now been corrected.
