Patients forced to move as part of hospital shut after burst pipe sends A&E into choas
Barnsley Hospital faced a huge disaster during the latest episode of the Channel 5 show(Image: Channel 5)
A hospital department on Channel 5’s Casualty 24/7 was thrown into chaos.
Patients were forced to leave their cubicles after part of a hospital was shut when a burst pipe sent water and steam crashing through the ceiling.
During Wednesday’s episode of the hit show, the emergency department at Barnsley Hospital was plunged into turmoil after the unexpected incident left a large section of the hospital out of use.
Staff were forced to evacuate patients from the affected area and move equipment into corridors as they battled to keep the busy A&E department running.
Three fire engines were called to the South Yorkshire hospital after steam began pouring through the ceiling and part of it came down while doctors were working below.
At first, staff did not know what they were dealing with and feared the fumes could potentially have been gas. A member of staff explained that patients had to be evacuated from the cubicles as steam continued to pour down from the ceiling.
The trolleys were also moved into the back corridor, while staff initially feared the substance could be gas, prompting them to call the fire service.
The incident meant the entire back section of the emergency department had to be shut while staff worked to make the area safe.
With patients still waiting to be seen, the team had to find ways of continuing to treat people despite losing a significant part of the department.
The waiting room remained full as service manager Lindsey was drafted in to help Sister Jo get the department back on track.
Fortunately, nobody was injured during the dramatic incident. Lindsey said: “Nobody was injured, thankfully. Fortunately, it started slowly dripping first so people were standing back looking up as the ceiling came in.”
But the disruption created yet another challenge for staff working in an already pressured environment.
She said: “It’s already a difficult environment to work in, so any additional pressure on top of that is only going to make it even more difficult.”
Staff were forced to improvise, moving computers and equipment as they attempted to keep the department functioning.
One nurse said: “Just getting on really. There’s nothing you can do. They told us to get laptops and make it work.” Another added: “It’s a change but that’s ED for you, isn’t it? Got to work with what you’ve got.” The scale of the disruption on behalf of the hospital was out of use for the day.
Lindsey said she had asked the IT team to bring in computers on wheels so staff could continue working, describing the disruption as “a new challenge to add to the list.”
After hours of disruption, staff finally received some good news when another small section of the hospital was made available.
Computers could be plugged back in and some of the electrical problems had been resolved, allowing the team to start getting back to normal.
Lindsey praised the staff for how they had handled the extraordinary situation. She said: “I’m proud of the team because they handled it the way they do everything.” Meanwhile Sister Jo added: “We managed to keep on top of it and the patients got what they needed.”
You can stream Casualty 24/7: Every Second Counts on Channel 5