Services affected by heavy rainfall at Whipps Cross
A spokesperson for Barts Health NHS Trust said:
“We are continuing to experience operational issues at Whipps Cross Hospital due to the heavy rainfall yesterday. We cancelled all planned surgery and outpatient appointments for today, and are diverting ambulances while we work hard to clean up affected areas of the hospital. We are keeping the situation under constant review and will post updates about services as necessary.
“Meanwhile we cleaned all areas affected by the flooding at Newham Hospital yesterday and its emergency department is now open to people needing emergency care.
“We are working closely with other hospitals across the Barts Health group to maintain patient care, and asking the public to check the latest visiting arrangements for each hospital on our website before coming to any site.”
Background
- The heavy rainfall on 25 July flooded the basement at Whipps Cross Hospital, causing damage to the electrical system and a loss of power. We are working to resolve these issues, although Newham Hospital is now fully operational after also suffering some flooding on Sunday.
- A major incident was called across the Trust, and we are moving about 100 inpatients from affected wards, including to other hospitals within the Barts Health group.
- Ambulances are currently being diverted to other hospital emergency departments to relieve the pressure on Whipps Cross.
- The emergency department at Whipps Cross Hospital remains open for walk-ins but patients requiring urgent treatment are asked to attend alternative hospitals where possible.
