Hospital patients moved due to fire safety concerns

Some inpatients at Sevenoaks Hospital have been moved to Tonbridge Cottage Hospital

A Kent hospital has moved patients to another site after an evacuation during a fire drill was found to be “not fast enough”.

Inpatients on the rehabilitation ward at Sevenoaks Hospital have been moved to Tonbridge Cottage Hospital.

The Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) said it was clear the speed at which staff were able to safely evacuate frail and elderly patients from the first-floor ward was too slow.

The trust’s chief executive, Mairead McCormick, said the move was urgent, but temporary.

The planned evacuation exercise followed a fire safety audit by Kent Fire and Rescue Service, which highlighted issues with fire compartmentation.

Other services at the 100-year-old hospital remain unaffected.

Ms McCormick said the move was a short-term solution while the trust investigates further.

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and we will be working closely with our patients, their families and carers, as well as our colleagues, to make the process as smooth as possible,” she said.

“We have an ageing building which will need significant investment to bring up to standard and tackling this is something we are working on, alongside our health and care partners.”

The trust is also opening 15 beds at West View Integrated Care Centre in Tenterden to support the system in Kent and Medway.

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