King's Lynn Queen Elizabeth Hospital roof is sagging, council told

Thousands of concrete panels in a hospital's propped-up roof are sagging, a planning committee has heard.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn has had roof supports for the past year and there are calls for the hospital to be rebuilt.

West Norfolk Council was told 85% of the 11,000 roof panels were assessed and more than half were distorted.

It approved a new endoscopy unit which would free up space in the hospital to allow safety work to proceed.

The roof is supported by 214 structures in 56 areas and is the most-propped hospital in the country, associate director of estates Nicola Hunter told the committee.

"We've had significant issues with our roof, requiring the closure of our critical care unit for two weeks, plus a number of wards," she said.

The safety work required involved fitting a "fill structure" under the concrete panels, which she described as "like a Meccano set".

"This will only support the roof until 2030 - this is why our new hospital campaign is so important," added Ms Hunter.

By doubling the hospital's capacity for endoscopy, the new suite would allow contractors to carry out work on the main theatre roof.

"It's a piece of a jigsaw puzzle which is being completed to keep our staff and patients safe," Ms Hunter said.

Board papers earlier this year said the roof posed a "direct risk to the life and safety of patients".

Last month it emerged the hospital was continuing to add roof supports.

North West Norfolk MP James Wild told the Commons there was "a compelling case" for the hospital to be one of eight new hospitals the government has pledged to rebuild by 2030.

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