Some patients are being redirected to Nottinghamshire hospitals after a fire closed the A&E department at Lincoln County Hospital. The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning - on Tuesday, March 29 - and has led to "severe" damage to part of the hospital.
The Trust declared a major incident and asked people not to attend. Meanwhile, in a tweet released on Tuesday morning, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH) said its emergency department was "really busy" - urging anyone with a medical concern which is not an emergency to contact NHS 111 online.
One affected patient, who didn’t wish to be named, said she went to A&E at Lincoln on Tuesday morning after suffering injuries to her face. She arrived just before 9am but said she was told by staff that she would instead have to go to the A&E department at Newark.
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A spookesperson for the Lincolnshire hospital trust told Nottinghamshire Live: "Our emergency department remains closed and obviously patients are being diverted to other hospitals depending on where they live, including in Nottinghamshire."
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said in a statement: "Patients and staff were evacuated from the Emergency Department in the early hours of this morning. Nobody was injured and patients are now being cared for in other areas of the hospital. The fire has been extinguished but our Emergency Department (A&E and Urgent Treatment Centre) remains closed at this time.
"While we work to reopen our Emergency Department, we ask that you do not attend the department. If you require non-life-threatening urgent or emergency care, please call 111 or visit NHS 111 online for advice on the most appropriate service for your needs. Please continue to call 999 for life-threatening emergencies.
"Patients who were due to attend a scanning appointment today (X-ray, CT or MRI) are also asked not to attend the hospital. Radiotherapy is unaffected. All affected patients will be contacted."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said: "Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue were called out at around 3am this morning to a fire at Lincoln County Hospital. Six crews attended to extinguish the fire using a hose reel jet, breathing apparatus, a portable pump to ventilate and a thermal imaging camera.
"The fire has caused severe damage to the entirety of a treatment room and its contents. There was smoke damage to the adjoining corridor. All crews have now left the scene. The cause is currently unknown until the fire investigation is complete later this morning."
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