Hospital baby units reopen after safety work

Maternity units have reopened at their original location after safety work was completed.

The Central Delivery Suite, midwife-led birthing unit and Butterfly Suite were relocated to another area at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King's Lynn about a year ago.

The hospital in Norfolk was built with concrete which is at risk of crumbling, and steel and timber support props have been installed in the maternity areas.

Esther Dorken, head of midwifery and nursing, said: "We understand that women, birthing people and their families may have some anxiety about how to get to the Central Delivery Suite following this move and we are doing all we can to make this journey as easy as possible."

The hospital is four years into a six-year rolling programme of works to mitigate the effects of the material - known as Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) - across the first floor of the hospital.

Thousands of props are holding up the ceiling, and one ward at a time is being closed while the props are installed.

The maternity areas were moved to area seven on the first floor, but reopened back in area six, opposite the Castleacre Ward, on Monday.

The children's ward will be the next area to close, but a hospital spokesman said this would not be imminent as "preparation work" to make the space useable was needed.

The government has promised that QEH will be rebuilt as part of the New Hospital Programme, but the start date for construction has been pushed back to 2027-28, which means it would not open until 2032-33.

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