Fire safety improvements to reassure patients at Lincolnshire hospitals

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust said that a £46 million fire safety investment in hospital buildings will reassure patients.
Pilgrim HospitalPilgrim Hospital
Pilgrim Hospital

The sum is being spent on improving fire safety at the Boston, Lincoln and Grantham hospitals.

ULHT received a loan from the Department for Health over three years and has also put in some of its own money into the improvements.

It comes as the trust was handed two fire enforcement notices for Lincoln and Boston Pilgrim and a fire action plan for Grantham.

But the trust said that the investment in new fire doors, staff training and ensuring correct installation of cladding following the Grenfell fire will give reassurance to patients and staff.

Trust Fire Safety Advisor Keiron Davey said that patients will benefit from the improvements.

“It gives the trust board and all our patients, visitors and staff a reassurance that our buildings are up to a modern day compliance,” he said.

“Should we have an incident involving a fire, then we are able to evacuate our buildings safely.

“Everybody can get out of the building in a quick safe manner and if we do have an incident we can contain it and deal with it as appropriate.”

ULHT said the money was invested following a number of fires caused by ageing electrical equipment.

Fire safety in public buildings has become a widely discussed topic since the Grenfell tower disaster and ULHT is keen to make the improvements – agreeing to spend £6 million of its own resources making the changes.

Fire containment is among the changes being made to the wards which will look to minimise the risk of a fire spreading.

The trust have requested a further £6 million from the Department of Health to go towards the investment in its hospital buildings.

Calvin Robinson , Local Democracy Reporting Service

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