George Eliot A&E evacuated over chemical scare
PART of Nuneaton’s Accident and Emergency department had to be evacuated following a chemical outbreak scare. THE drama unfolded at 6pm on Monday last week at the George Eliot Hospital.
A specialist decontamination officer from Nuneaton Fire Station had to be called into action as the reception area at the busy A&E department was forced to be evacuated.
A man is understood to have attended the A&E department on Monday night with a container of an unknown chemical which he said had made him feel unwell.
A George Eliot Hospital spokesperson explained: “A patient attended our A&E department at approximately 6pm on September 24 following suspected exposure to an unknown chemical.
“The patient and a member of staff were decontaminated, treated successfully and made a full recovery with the patient being discharged later that evening.
“No other patients were affected. The A&E reception area was temporarily evacuated as a precaution, but the unit remained open for patients. The whole area has been deep cleaned as a further precaution and is fully operational as usual.”
A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) confirmed: “We were called to the George Eliot Hospital at 6.53pm following reports that a patient had brought in a container.
“The patient and someone in Accident and Emergency had breathed it in and then felt unwell.”
WMAS sent two paramedic officers to the scene and liaised with the hospital.
A spokesperson for Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service added: “Our Hazardous Materials Officer based out of Nuneaton attended at 6.37pm and provided advice to the George Eliot Hospital on dealing with the incident, which was determined not to be serious.”
The chemical was disposed of by the fire service.