Russells Hall Hospital forced to abandon operations

A hospital in the Black Country has been forced to postpone all operations and appointments due to a problem with its water supply.

Bosses at Dudley's Russells Hall Hospital this afternoon were investigating the cause of the fault which has left wards and departments without water.

Patients arriving by ambulance were diverted to other hospitals Others with minor ailments were sent back to their own doctors or the walk-in ventre at Holly Hall, Dudley after problems started this morning.

Chief executive Paula Clark said: "The trust has experienced problems with its water supply which has affected wards and departments. As patient safety is our top priority, all surgical and day case work has either been deferred or postponed to a later date.

She said the trust's maintenance team and other workers were carrying out a sweep of the hospital from west to east to test the consistency and quality of the water.

"We are working with the water board to resolve the problem and anticipate the water supply will be back on this afternoon,"she said.

Dudley Primary Care Trust spokeswoman Becky Edwards said there had been increase in the number of people visiting the walk-in centre in Stourbridge Road, Holly Hall, for treatment while the hospital had problems this morning.