HEREFORD County Hospital has failed a fire safety test and is now subject to an enforcement notice.

The notice has been served on Mercia Healthcare and Wye Valley NHS Trust by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS).

This notice requires remedial works to be carried out for the County Hospital to meet fire safety regulations. These remedial works will be undertaken by Mercia Healthcare and will be monitored by the trust.

The trust contacted HWFRS after it identified a number of issues at the County Hospital that needed to be improved to help prevent the spread of fire in the building which is maintained by Mercia Healthcare.

Both the trust and HWFRS, along with Mercia Healthcare, are said to be “working closely together” to implement a number of health and safety measures.

Interim measures implemented to date include updated training and fire safety protocols that will stay in place until the remedial works have been completed.

Fire risk

THE county’s fire safety manager says Hereford County Hospital has a number of “hidden structural deficiencies” that represent a fire risk.

Station Commander Neil Pigott said the deficiencies were identified by Wye Valley NHS Trust and compromise elements of the building required to prevent the spread of fire.

“We have issued an enforcement notice to assist the parties involved in prioritising the remedial works necessary,” said SC Pigott.

Engineers are currently establishing the extent of the work that needs to be done with interim safety measures in place.

The enforcement notice requires the all works to be completed by June 2013.

  • See Thursday's Hereford Times for more on this story.