News / Health
Patients diverted from Bristol Royal Infirmary A&E in wake of fire
Health bosses have declared a system-wide major incident in the wake of a fire at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre.
More than 50 patients had to be evacuated after flames broke out on the ground floor plant room of the six-storey building, next to the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI), in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Fire crews were called to the scene following reports of alarms and smoke coming from the premises.
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No one is thought to have been injured, but the fire has caused severe disruption to hospital services, with operations cancelled and patients diverted away from the accident and emergency (A&E) department at the BRI.
Chair of Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire clinical commissioning group (CCG), Dr Jonathan Hayes, said: “We’re extremely grateful to local NHS staff, who have responded magnificently to this major incident and ensured that patients continue to receive safe and effective care.
“Although the local health system is coping well following the fire, the temporary divert of emergency ambulances from the BRI is putting increased pressure on services across the wider area.
“For this reason we’re asking people to do their bit by making sure that they use A&E for genuine emergencies only, and to consider alternatives such as NHS111 and local minor injuries units (MIU) for non-emergency conditions.”
Hospital bosses say additional measures have been put in place to increase capacity across the health system following the incident.
MIUs in the region have extended their opening hours to accommodate potential increased demand.
The MIU in Clevedon and the Urgent Care Centre in South Bristol will both close at 10pm on Thursday (May 10), as will the MIU in Yate. These extended hours are likely to continue over the weekend.
Hospital staff and community healthcare providers have also been asked to work extra shifts and some routine, non-urgent surgery has been cancelled to free up extra space.
Avon Fire and Rescue service confirmed that the cause of the fire is thought to be accidental.
Further updates on the major incident and additional measures will be posted on the CCG website at www.bnssgccg.nhs.uk.
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