Flooding causes disruption at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital - but patients advised to attend appointments as normal

The Shrewsbury & Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said the incident had affected Princess Royal Hospital in Telford yesterday (Monday, June 23).

It said the incident had caused disruption, with ambulances initially being diverted - although that reverted to normal this morning - but said its A&E and women and children's unit remained open.

It also asked patients to attend appointments unless contacted by the trust.

In a statement released late on Monday SaTH said: "The trust is currently dealing with flooding at the Princess Royal Hospital, which is affecting some wards. Initial investigations show this is due to a burst water pipe and engineers are currently on-site making repairs and cleaning the affected area. We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. 

"Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our patients, visitors and staff. Contingency plans are in place to minimise any disruption and ensure the safety of service users. 

"Our Emergency Department is open and treating patients, including walk-in patients. Ambulances will be temporarily diverted to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and neighbouring hospitals in line with our contingency plans.

"Our maternity and women and children services remain open and patients should attend as planned.  

"To help our teams manage the area, patients, visitors and staff are asked to follow any signs and instructions on-site to avoid affected areas.   

"Please phone NHS 111, or 999 in a life-threatening condition, before attending the Emergency Department. A range of alternative services are available if your condition is not a serious or life-threatening illness or injury, including the out-of-hours GP service. NHS 111 can help you get to the right service for your needs.

"Patients should continue to attend their appointments as planned unless they are contacted by the trust."

A spokesman for The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust said: “Following a suspected burst water pipe at Princess Royal Hospital, patients and visitors may experience some disruption due to flood damage.

“We have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption and to ensure the safety of service users. We are sorry for any inconvenience this is causing and would like to thank patients and visitors for their support. We would also like to thank our staff who are working hard to repair and clean the affected areas, so we can fully restore services as quickly as possible.  

“Further updates will be provided on our website as more information becomes available.”

For further information visit www.sath.nhs.uk.