A problem with the ventilation system in the Level 1 Theatres of the West Wing at the John Radcliffe Hospital has forced the closure of all theatres in the wing.
In a statement on its website, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust says it is reviewing all planned and emergency patients due to undergo surgery to risk-assess and prioritise cases that may need operating on in an alternative location.
Four other operating theatres at the John Radcliffe hospital are also out of action, as the Trust is already undertaking refurbishment work there, following its recent CQC inspection report which rated the Trust as ‘requires improvement’, with one of the areas for concern being the safety of services. The CQC used its urgent enforcement powers to impose three conditions on the Trust’s registration, which related to operating theatres at the John Radcliffe.
Planned refurbishment works started in the hospital’s theatres in April.
HEFMA spoke to the Trust and was told further meetings are being held to assess and update this situation this morning.
In October 2018, the Oxford Mail reported the Trust had backlog maintenance of £89.7m, around £30,000 of which was classed as high risk. However, at this stage the Trust is not able to comment on whether the current issue is related to backlog maintenance.
