3 January 2008
The Prime Minister has met with patients of the Royal Marsden hospital forced to relocate when the upper floor and roof were destroyed by fire.
Mr Brown spoke with staff and patients now being housed in the adjacent Royal Brompton hospital in West London. The Royal Marsden, a leading centre for the treatment of cancer, caught fire yesterday morning and underwent an emergency evacuation.
Speaking to reporters later in Downing Street, the PM said he had "nothing but the fullest praise" for the emergency services and that their actions showed "Britain at its best". The Government will do all it can to get the hospital "up and running" as soon as possible, he added.
The PM said:
"We have seen, in one of the biggest emergencies that the health service has ever seen, staff coming together - nurses, consultants and doctors and all the health service staff - coming together to evacuate 79 patients, two of them already in the middle of operations.
"This has seen, on the 60th anniversary of the NHS, the National Health Service at its best as well as Britain at its best. We will now do everything in our power to make sure the Royal Marsden can be up and running as quickly as possible. The rebuilding work will start immediately."
The Prime Minister visited the Royal Marsden, Europe’s largest dedicated cancer unit with 40,000 patients seen each year, just a few weeks ago to reveal new plans for cancer treatment and care. It is not known how long the hospital will have to remain closed although the most severe damage appears to be confined to the roof and top floor.
At one point around 125 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze that is believed to have started in a plant room. Nobody was injured in the incident.
Image copyright: Reuters
delicious
digg
facebook
