Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn using buckets to catch water

A hospital that has a roof supported by 1,500 props has used buckets to catch leaking water after heavy rain.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), in King's Lynn, Norfolk, has steel and wooden posts in 56 areas.

A video filmed by a member of staff showed a bucket catching water in a hospital corridor

Laura Skaife-Knight, the hospital's deputy chief executive, said the leaking roof "did not impact patient care or safety".

The Department of Health and Social Care said patient and staff safety was its "top priority".

The video was shared on Twitter by Jo Rust, an independent councillor on the Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk.

Ms Rust is also a local trade union secretary, and runs the community campaign to get a new hospital for King's Lynn.

Ms Rust said the hospital "had previously explained they have had to move patients when water is dripping in".

Nichola Hunter, acting director for estates and facilities at the QEH, said: "The heavy rainfall has resulted in a number of significant leaks in our building.

"We are monitoring and managing these closely.

"Service delivery has been unaffected and patients should continue to use the hospital."

In June, Karon Strong, head of nursing for medicine, said staff knew "exactly where the buckets would need to go" to catch water when rain was forecast.

Last year, hospital board papers said the state of the hospital roof posed a "direct risk to the life and safety of patients".

In 2020, the government announced 40 hospitals would be built by 2030 as part of a package worth £3.7bn, with a further eight schemes invited to bid for future funding.

The trust is waiting to hear if it will be one of those eight across England that will be chosen to get a new hospital.

Ms Rust said: "We've been waiting an unacceptably long period of time and this decision should have been announced last year.

"Delay after delay, excuse after excuse and all the time our hospital is deteriorating."

In a statement, the Department of Health and Social Care said it had "invested record sums to upgrade NHS buildings and facilities so trusts could provide the best possible quality of care.

"The secretary of state visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in July and we have received its expression of interest to be part of the new hospitals programme.

"The selected eight hospitals will be announced later this year."

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