TORBAY Hospital has reassured patients that services will remain available locally amid concerns over fire safety arrangements in the hospital’s Tower Block.

The Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust says neither Torbay Hospital nor the Heatherington Unit will close and that patients will not be sent out of the area.

The reassurance comes after the Trust confirmed on Wednesday, October 14, that it had received a Fire Enforcement Notice relating to evacuation arrangements on the Tower Block’s upper floors.

The Trust said the fire safety risks associated with the Tower Block were not new and had been recognised and actively managed over many years.

Measures have included staff training, evacuation planning, fire safety improvements and ongoing investment, carried out in partnership with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and other agencies.

The Trust is now working closely with the fire service to meet the requirements of the notice.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has also recently inspected surgery services based in the Tower Block and proposed regulatory action relating to the oversight of fire safety processes.

The Trust says it is engaging constructively with the CQC and has the right to appeal.

Details of any regulatory action will be published by the regulator as part of its inspection process.

As part of its response, the Trust is exploring a number of options to improve evacuation arrangements and support future fire safety improvements.

These include reviewing occupancy levels, patient placement and staffing arrangements, as well as the potential relocation of some services elsewhere within the hospital estate.

The Trust acknowledged that speculation had included possible changes affecting services at the Heatherington Unit and education facilities within the Horizon Centre.

However, it stressed that no decisions had been made and no proposals had been agreed.

In a statement, the Trust said: ‘We are not closing the Tower Block, the Heatherington Unit or Torbay Hospital.

‘We are not reducing access to services for our communities, and we are not sending patients out of area because of these fire safety arrangements’.

It added that potential options were being developed and tested with clinical and operational colleagues, with teams in affected areas being consulted to ensure any proposals would be safe, practical and maintain high-quality care.

The Trust said the safety of patients, staff and visitors remained its ‘absolute priority’.

It urged the public not to draw conclusions from unconfirmed reports, rumours or partial information, adding that further details would be shared once plans had been agreed with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.