38 hospitals are at risk of another Grenfell
Nine sites ‘at greatest risk’ after fire chiefs identify ‘similar characteristics’ to London tower block
Up to 38 hospital sites may be as dangerous as Grenfell Tower, with nine identified as especially at risk, fire chiefs have warned. The alert came as more than 17,000 care homes and private hospitals were ordered to undertake their own safety reviews in the wake of the disaster. Theresa May last night ordered a national investigation into the use of potentially flammable cladding.
UP to 38 hospital sites may be as dangerous as Grenfell Tower, with nine identified as especially at risk, fire chiefs have warned.
The alert came as more than 17,000 care homes and private hospitals were ordered to undertake their own safety reviews in the wake of the disaster.
Theresa May last night ordered a national investigation into the use of potentially flammable cladding on high-rise towers.
It follows checks on cladding at residential tower blocks in which all 95 samples so far submitted by councils failed fire safety tests.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said the investigation into use of the material may form part of the public inquiry announced into the west London blaze, which claimed the lives of at least 79 people earlier this month.
NHS regulators last week ordered an audit of every hospital amid concerns about wider use of the cladding.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) last night told The Daily Telegraph that 38 NHS sites had been found to have similar characteristics to those of Grenfell, with nine said to be at greatest risk.
Over the weekend, Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, instructed every inpatient hospital to undergo safety checks within 36 hours.
But the demand was met with chaos, with fire chiefs saying they could not cope with the volume of work on top of other efforts to maintain public safety in the wake of Grenfell.
Instead, they have drawn up a list of the buildings that need urgent checks, because of the nature of the risks found in the audit.
Neither the council nor NHS Improvement – the watchdog which carried out the exercise – would name the sites or provide details of the findings. The NFCC said: “From a national perspective, the primary focus has been on residential tower blocks with similar characteristics to Grenfell Tower. To date, 38 priority NHS sites have been identified, with nine sites at greater risk. This is due to these presenting the greatest risk when considering both cladding and the fire risk assessment.”
An NHS Improvement spokesman said: “Fire safety should be an absolute priority for the NHS. That’s why we are checking with all NHS providers of care in England that they have identified any risks and are taking any action necessary – both in terms of cladding specifically, but also on fire risks more broadly.”
Sir David Behan, head of the Care Quality Commission, instructed NHS organisations to carry out an immediate review the fabric and size of all registered premises, following the
Grenfell disaster.
Five NHS trusts are currently subject to enforcement notices because they have been found to be failing basic fire standards.
Other trusts have been warned that failure to properly “compartmentalise” areas could put patients at “intolerable risk” if fire broke out, Health Service Journal reported.
Last year Cambridge University Hospitals foundation trust was warned over a lack of progress addressing the problem, with engineers saying: “The means of escape provisions are inadequate.”
Edinburgh Napier University is removing cladding from one of its halls of residence after it was found to be the same type said to have been used on Grenfell Tower.
The university said cladding on around a quarter of the building is being removed as a precaution. The building has not been evacuated.