Following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, all NHS providers have been asked to ensure that our buildings have cladding that meets stringent fire resistance tests.
On Friday 30th June 2017, the North Middlesex University NHS Trust provided samples from panels taken from two of their buildings including the Tower, for fire resistance testing.
These samples were tested over the weekend.
The results from this have shown that cladding from the Tower building has the appropriate level of fire resistance. We want to reassure, patients, staff and visitors that our main ward areas do not have cladding on their exterior walls and as a result are not affected.
However, cladding on the main (PFI) building which includes the main outpatient, day surgery, link corridors and office facilities failed the fire resistance test.
The parties responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the building and who have been working with us on this matter have been informed of the test result. The Trust will work with them over the coming weeks to examine the appropriate actions necessary to address this issue.
The immediate priority for the Trust has been to ensure the safety of patients, carers, staff and other visitors to the Hospital.
The Trust has conducted fire risk assessments in the affected areas to ensure the following:
- the appropriate alerting systems are maintained and fully-functional,
- fire-fighting equipment is available
- fire wardens are clear of the evacuation procedures
- clear processes are in place for moving patients to places of safety or evacuation in the event of a fire
The Trust was visited by a member of London Fire Brigade last week who inspected a number of areas across the hospital and was satisfied with the steps that the Trust had taken to protect patients and staff. Given the results of the subsequent tests on the cladding, the London Fire Brigade will visit the hospital again tomorrow (Wednesday 5 July 2017).
The Trust is confident that it has taken all the appropriate steps to ensure the safety of its patients, staff and other visitors to the Hospital.
