Woman evacuated from Southmead A&E sent to BRI then South Bristol Community Hospital for ‘five-hour’ wait

North Bristol NHS Trust has apologised for disruption - but woman’s husband calls it ‘ridiculous’
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A woman evacuated from Southmead Hospital’s A&E hospital was sent to Bristol Royal Infirmary and then Bristol Community Hospital in Hengrove, where she was told to wait a possible five hours.

Susan Tame’s husband Ralph said the major incident, caused by a man walking into Southmead Hospital claiming to have explosives, showed the strain on NHS services across the city.

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Mrs Tame, aged 58, had been in the A&E waiting area at Southmead Hospital after a fall at work when a doctor told her she had to leave due to the incident at 11.30am.

Armed police officers quickly arrived to arrest the man, and a bomb disposal squad inspected a number of bags before declaring the area safe shortly before 2pm.

Ralph and Susan Tame waiting at Bristol Community Hospital in Hengrove after Susan was evacuated from Southmead Hospital A&E this morningRalph and Susan Tame waiting at Bristol Community Hospital in Hengrove after Susan was evacuated from Southmead Hospital A&E this morning
Ralph and Susan Tame waiting at Bristol Community Hospital in Hengrove after Susan was evacuated from Southmead Hospital A&E this morning

Meanwhile, Mrs Tame was picked up by husband Ralph - who had been waiting in the car park outside - and the pair headed to the Bristol Royal Infirmary, after being told to go there or Yate.

However, on arrival they were told there was not enough capacity and were instead directed to South Bristol Community Hospital in Hengrove.

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At the community hospital she was told she could have to wait five hours to be seen - the pair contacted BristolWorld from the waiting room at the hospital’s minor injuries unit.

Mr Tame, aged 55, said: “It seems that when there is an incident like what happened at Southmead, then the while NHS in the city comes to a standstill.”

He added: “It just goes to show the strain on the health service and the need for surrounding services to be capable of stepping up when something like this happens.

“It is ridiculous really.”

On the incident, Mr Tame said: “I got a phone call from my wife inside the A&E waiting area saying she had to come out due to a incident. I picked her up and as we drove out we saw a police car come into the hospital.”

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When the major incident alert was raised at Southmead Hospital, all outpatient appointments and visits were cancelled for the day.

People were also asked to stay away from the A&E department.

Just over four hours later, at 3.45pm, North Bristol NHS Trust confirmed that the major incident was over.

It meant the emergency department reopened, while outpatient appointments for women’s and children’s services, Bristol Breast Care Centre, dialysis, chemotherapy in the medical day unit and the Rosa Burden Brain Centre all resumed.

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The trust said: “We’d like to thank the public for their support during this time and their help in keeping our staff and patients safe.

“We’d also like to thank staff for their quick actions and responsiveness.”

It added: “We apologise for this disruption and thank the public for their patience.”

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