The incident was partly caused by fire safety concerns
Bristol Royal Infirmary
A critical incident at an NHS trust covering hospitals in Bristol and Weston-super-Mare has been declared over on Tuesday afternoon (November 4).
Hospitals under the management of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation (UHBW) were placed into a critical incident on Thursday (October 30).
The incident was partly prompted by the closure and evacuation of two wards at the Bristol Royal Infirmary due to fire safety concerns, although there was no fire in either ward.
Professor Stuart Walker, Hospital Managing Director, UHBW said: “The Critical Incident at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation has now been stood down.
“I would like to thank our staff and local partners for their outstanding work over the last five days to keep people in our care safe and services running during this period of high pressure.
Professor Walker said UHBW’s hospitals — including the BRI, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, St Michaels Hospital and Weston General Hospital — were still experiencing very high demand. He asked members of the public to dial 111 as a first port of call if they were unsure where to seek urgent medical help.
“Our Bristol NHS Group hospitals are still very busy,” Professor Walker said.
“If you need urgent medical help and are unsure where to go, please contact NHS 111 for advice.”
A “combination of ongoing pressures, including a high number of patients in hospital beds who no longer require hospital care, and an increase in seasonal illness” were also blamed for the critical incident.
“In addition to these operational challenges, following detailed inspections and discussions with the fire service, we acted promptly on Thursday 30 October to close two wards at the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI),” an earlier statement from Professor Walker said. “There was no fire in either ward, but the areas have been closed to address identified fire safety concerns, and patients and staff were safely relocated.”
Hospitals managed by UHBW have been plagued by fire issues in recent years. In May, pregnant women were evacuated from St Michael’s Hospital after a huge fire broke out on the roof of the building. Firefighters later confirmed faulty solar panels were the cause of the blaze.
A critical incident was also declared and patients evacuated when twin fires broke out at the BRI in May 2024. Those fires were caused by an electrical fault.
UHBW has been contacted for further comment regarding the fire safety concerns identified at the BRI.