Torbay Hospital secures £8 million for Tower Block fire safety work

Torbay Hospital has secured a further £8 million for essential fire safety improvements to its Tower Block.

Temporary changes to hospital services will also be introduced to reduce the number of patients staying in the building while work is planned and carried out.

The additional funding comes on top of £1.8 million announced in September and will support major improvements to the fire compartmentation in the Tower Block.

The move follows an enforcement notice issued by Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service after inspectors identified fire safety concerns with the building.

Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust originally had a deadline of Friday, November 6, to make the necessary changes, however, the fire service has now extended this deadline until Friday, December 18.

The trust has confirmed that temporary service changes will be put in place during November and early December 2026.

However, no services are being closed and all will remain within Torbay and South Devon.

Most of the changes will be moved within Torbay Hospital, while one will be temporarily transferred to Totnes Community Hospital.

The service currently being provided from Simpson Ward in the Hetherington Unit at Torbay Hospital will temporarily move to Harbourne Ward at Totnes Community Hospital.

This will also bring currently unused ward space back into use.

This move will allow respiratory inpatient services that are currently provided from Midgley Ward in the Tower Block to move temporarily to Simpson Ward.

Meanwhile, services provided by Hutchings Day Unit on level 8 will move temporarily to the Horizon Centre, also on the Torbay Hospital site.

Some inpatient services will remain in the Tower Block, with the trust hoping to maintain as much inpatient capacity as safely possible.

However, some of the ward space will be used differently to reduce occupancy.

This will impact Allterton Ward which cares for people across levels 7 and 8, as well as Cromie Ward caring for people across levels 5 and 6.

These new arrangements are due to remain under review as the fire safety work progresses.

Anyone who will be directly affected by the changes will receive information directly from the teams caring for them.

People are also urged to continue attending appointments in their usual location unless they hear directly from the Trust that the location is changing.

Separate from the new changes, the Trust has also been developing Same Day Emergency Care at Torbay Hospital.

The short-stay assessment service previously provided by EAU4 is now being provided through an expanded Same Day Emergency Care 9SDEC) service.

This enables more patients to receive assessments, diagnostic tests and treatment, allowing them to return home the same when an inpatient admission is not required.

A new 12-bed Medical Assessment Unit has also been created, while the former EAU4 space on Level 4 has been repurposed as a discharge lounge, which remains closed overnight.

Alongside these temporary service changes, the Trust is progressing plans for dire compartmentalisation work in the Tower Block.

The construction programme is still being finalised and remains subject to the final fire strategy and building safety approvals.

As of now, the work is due to begin on the first ward floor in spring 2027.

The second is expected to be completed in early autumn, meaning that two full wards will likely be able to return to operation while work continues on the remaining floors.

The overall programme is expected to be completed by February 2028.

Reflecting on the challenges involved and the progress made, Chief Executive Joe Teape said: “There are no easy answers when managing some of the oldest NHS estate in the country or making changes of this kind.”

“We now have the further investment we need to carry out the compartmentation work in the Tower and a practical way forward that keeps services within Torbay and South Devon.

He added: “I am sincerely grateful to our teams and colleagues for continuing to work through the detail, challenge our thinking and make sure we have properly considered what this means for the people and communities we serve.”

“I also want to recognise the strong support we are receiving from our NHS and local authority partners and I am grateful for the constructive way Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service and the Care Quality Commission have engaged with us as we have worked through what needs to happen.”

He also expressed his gratitude to local MPs for their continued support and efforts to secure the investment needed at Torbay Hospital.

In light of the announcement, Caroline Voaden MP for South Devon said: “This additional funding for the Tower Block is very welcome news.”

“Torbay’s estate is one of the oldest in the NHS, and parts of the hospital are simply not fit for patients or staff.”

“ If we want a 21st-century standard of healthcare, we must invest in the infrastructure to deliver it.”

“Failing to do so is a false economy.”

Steve Darling MP for Torbay seconded this and said: “It is excellent news that we have secured the necessary funding for the Tower Block at Torbay Hospital from NHS England’s regional team.”

“This will allow the Trust to carry out the fire safety work needed while protecting as much hospital capacity as safely possible.”

“However, serious questions need to be asked about why it took a crisis to break at Torbay Hospital for this money to be released.”

Martin Wrigley MP for Newton Abbot responded: “I am relieved that Torbay Hospital has been able to secure the funding needed for this essential fire safety work in the Tower Block.”

“I am confident that the required work will be carried out as quickly as possible with the minimum of disruption.”

“My colleagues and I will continue to push Government for a long-term upgrade to the hospital that is so desperately needed.”