Hospital restaurant reopens after fire

A total of 10 fire crews from across Leicestershire were involved in the operation to tackle the fire at Leicester Royal Infirmary

NHS trust bosses have praised staff for working "around the clock" to overcome disruption caused by a fire at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Ten fire crews were called to the hospital on 10 May to tackle the blaze, which started due to an electrical fault and caused severe heat and fire damage to a food storage area as well as smoke damage to nearby rooms and corridors.

A plan was then put in place to continue to serve food to patients at all three hospitals run by the University of Leicester Hospitals NHS Trust and repair the damage caused by the fire.

The restaurant at Leicester Royal Infirmary has now reopened.

At its height, there were 10 fire crews tackling the fire at Leicester Royal Infirmary

Nick Lee, retail catering facilities manager at the trust, said: "We pulled together very quickly to get patients fed in the immediate aftermath of the fire.

"The top priority initially was to maintain meal provision for patients across all three hospital sites.

"Within hours of the fire, catering teams implemented a temporary plan to redirect production to kitchens at the Leicester General Hospital and the Glenfield Hospital, supported by rapid stock movement from site to site."

He added: "Portering teams played a vital role, helping to move chilled and frozen food between locations, while cleaning teams ensured alternative areas were safe and fit for food preparation."

Dharminder Shoker, associate director of commercial services, said: "I'm very proud of the organisation that we work for and the people that are working in it.

"It's thanks to the team effort across the board, with everyone going the extra mile to get the kitchen back up and running. I want to thank all colleagues involved, there are too many to name, but my thanks go out to all of you."