Blog

A Sutton Coldfield hospital was evacuated today after several people inside felt ill. Staff and patients at Sutton Cottage Hospital were told to leave the building around 2 p.m.

Paramedics checked three people at the scene who reported feeling nauseated. They were later discharged.

The West Midlands Fire Service initially responded to reports of a chemical spill near the building. This was understood to have caused the people inside to feel sick.

Read more: Live updates spill of unknown chemicals as Sutton Cottage Hospital evacuated with people ‘nauseous’

As firefighters worked to establish exactly what had happened, police closed off nearby Birmingham Road, where the hospital is located. The road was reopened about 30 minutes later.

After the emergency services left the scene, the Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which manages Sutton Cottage, revealed the cause of the evacuation.

The trust said the incident was only “minor” and that someone attending a clinic had complained of feeling unwell after fumes from outside drainage entered the hospital.

A trusted spokesperson said: “Having investigated, it turned out to be a minor incident, with minimal disruption, but the necessary precautionary protocols were followed.

“Some maintenance workers were using an adhesive on the external drain at Sutton Cottage Hospital. It appears that fumes from that adhesive were smelled indoors through an open window.

“Someone, attending a clinic, complained of feeling unwell, so the ambulance service was called as a precaution and the building was evacuated.”

A spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “We were called to say that three staff at Sutton Cottage Hospital were feeling unwell after breathing fumes that were being produced near where they worked.

“An ambulance and a paramedic were dispatched to the scene after a call at 1:45 p.m. Three patients were evaluated and released to the scene.”

READ NEXT: