Friday 6 October 2023

Hot meals have resumed for patients at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford after a temporary kitchen was built in just over a week.

A huge amount of work was undertaken by teams at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to install the kitchen.

This follows the identification of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in a kitchen area at the hospital and, as a precaution, the kitchen and Apley Restaurant were closed.

Work to build the kitchen included installing electrics, sectioning off areas and building a walk-in chiller to store the food. Rest areas have been created in other areas of the hospital.

Helen Troalen, Director of Finance (including Estates), said: “It’s been a phenomenal effort by a number of teams at our Trust to create this kitchen to ensure that more than 400 hot meals each sitting are provided to our patients.

“We would like to thank you for your understanding as we have been building the kitchen.”

Whilst the Trust continues to assess the situation with the kitchen and Apley Restaurant, the following catering provisions are available for staff and visitors:

  • Caffe Bistro will be opening Monday to Friday: 7.30am to 7.30pm or 9am to 4pm Saturday/Sunday
  • The Trust is looking to put in place an additional retail option
  • Vending machines remain available across the Princess Royal Hospital site.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete

The safety of our patients and colleagues is paramount. The Trust is working closely with NHS England and following expert advice from the Institution for Structural Engineers to manage the RAAC at PRH safely, including daily inspections by the Estates team, and the Trust has also joined the national RAAC programme.