More storms expected after Walsall Manor Hospital struck by flash floods
Water came through the ceiling above an emergency theatre at Walsall Manor as the hospital was hit by flooding.
Flash floods swept across the region on Tuesday when drains were overwhelmed as thunderstorms struck the West Midlands for the fourth night in a row.
Further storms were expected on Wednesday night, with a yellow warning for thunder issued for the entirety of the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham.
Walsall was among the worst affected on Tuesday evening, with parts of the Manor under water including the entrance to Ward 29 and a rear entrance to the Intensive Care Unit.
The area outside the emergency theatre was also flooded when water came through the ceiling, forcing the emergency team to relocate so that operations were able to continue throughout the night.
Staff worked through the early hours to clear the worst-hit areas and repairs were being carried out today to allow teams to return to theatre areas.
Ned Hobbs, Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust’s chief operating officer and lead director for estates, said: “I’d firstly like to thank West Midlands Fire Service for their invaluable help and guidance last night as well as our estates and facilities colleagues, IT team, staff from support services and clinical areas, porters, switchboard and Skanska who all pitched in to help clear up well past midnight and into the early hours.
“Storm drains overflowed due to the sheer volume of rain water and hail that fell on Walsall during Tuesday night’s storm just after 8pm and water also came through the ceiling above theatres and our Acute Medical Unit.
"None of our patients were affected by the flood and they were cared for and supported as normal throughout.
“There may be some slight disruption for patients attending hospital and we thank them for their understanding at this time.”
The flooding at the hospital comes as bosses are urging people not to avoid A&E during the coronavirus crisis.
Visits to A&E are on the rise again but remain among the quietest in the last decade, new figures show.
NHS trust bosses said it is “incredibly worrying” that patients are still not using hospitals and clinics in the Black Country and Staffordshire as much as usual.
NHS England data shows 51,000 A&E attendances were recorded at hospital trusts across the Black Country and Staffordshire in May.
This was almost double than the number of visits in April – but about half of the number of visits compared to the same period last year.
