John Radcliffe Hospital: Patients moved over 'unsafe cladding'

A hospital building will be closed to inpatients for up to 12 months due to fire safety problems in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire in London.

John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford plans to move 52 beds from its trauma unit to other wards following a review of their cladded buildings.

The NHS trust overseeing the site said a "combination of fire safety factors with this building" make it currently unsuitable for inpatients.

They plan to move patients by 4 August.

The results come from a Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust report, commissioned after external cladding was thought to have contributed to the spread of the fire which led to the deaths of at least 80 people at Grenfell Tower.

The trust identified four buildings that needed "closer examination" for fire safety concerns, however, the trauma unit was the only one to accommodate inpatients.

Replacing the block's cladding was one of the recommendations made to ensure the building can be reoccupied, they claim.

It is thought the works may take up to a year to carry out.

Dr Bruno Holthof, OUH Chief Executive said the Trust had been "reviewing its fire safety procedures and systems following the tragic events in London".

He added the hospital would "implement any changes necessary" to ensure patients are safe.

Patients will be moved to wards within the John Radcliffe Hospital. The Trust is putting its contingency planning in place and preparing the wards to receive patients from the Trauma Unit. The move is planned for Friday 4 August which will allow enough time to ensure patient safety during the move and prepare the new locations appropriately.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb called for a commitment from ministers to "make the necessary emergency cash injection and to explore whether the period of closure can be speeded up".