More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A hospital will reopen later this month - four months after a burst water pipe brought the ceiling crashing down.
The incident in the spring caused significant damage at Tonbridge Cottage Hospital and saw six of the most vulnerable patients relocated to Sevenoaks Hospital.
Another 12 patients at the hospital, who were on a separate ward not affected by the leak, were moved to other Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust (KCHFT) community hospitals the following morning.
Thankfully no patients or members of staff were injured when the incident happened during the night shift on May 19.
The complete closure of the hospital in Vauxhall Lane has allowed the repair works to be completed without disruption.
Improvements have also been made at the site during the work, including the addition of two new wet rooms, an innovative call bell system offering more functions to alert care staff to patient’s needs and a new nurses station.
It has initially been hoped the hospital would have reopened at the end of July, but KCHFT has now confirmed staff will return on August 21.
The Trust's head of clinical services urgent care and hospitals, Victoria Cover, said: "Staff are looking forward to moving back to Tonbridge into a new and improved environment.
"While the works have been going on, staff have embraced working across our other community hospital sites and supporting the teams there."
The water pipe burst at around 7.20pm and it caused damage to fire doors, flooring, fire alarms, electrical cabling and water mechanical joints.
Problems were most severe in the entrance area and nurses’ station of Goldsmid ward.
Once the debris was cleared, large dehumidifiers were used to dry out the area damaged by the water.
KCHFT used its other community hospitals in west Kent to accommodate patients while the Tonbridge site has been closed.
