The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is one of the most fire safe buildings in the country having been designed and engineered to meet building and fire safety regulations.
Last month we brought in external technical advisers to give the Board further assurance on fire safety following concerns arising about external cladding as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire.
As part of these further forensic checks we have identified a type of Aluminium Composite Material on parts of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital of a similar type to, but not the same as, Grenfell.
Health Facilities Scotland and their National Fire Advisor have given us renewed assurances that the hospital is an extremely safe building.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have also provided further reassurance that as part of its regular risk based audit programme, it had carried out fire safety audits within the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which were found to be satisfactory.
Assistant Chief Officer David McGown, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have reassured NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and Scottish Ministers that as part of its regular risk based audit programme, it had carried out fire safety audits within the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, which were found to be satisfactory.”
However, as a purely precautionary measure, and to make sure the public, our patients and our staff have full confidence in the safety of the hospital we have taken the decision to remove the panels from the areas of the hospital where these panels are.
The panels that will be removed are present in three external sections of the building and we are currently working with contractors and technical advisers to assess how this work can proceed at the earliest possible opportunity.
Our hospital management teams are working on plans to minimise the impact on patient care.
