Hospital still waiting for water test results

A Kent hospital trust has said it is still waiting for test results after it had to declare a critical incident over problems with the water supply at one of its hospitals.

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust said the issue which "could compromise the quality" of the water at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford, was identified on 28 April.

In an update earlier, it said while it had received some test results, it was still waiting for others, so could not yet allow taps and showers in affected areas to be used.

The trust said the source of the contamination had been traced to one of the hospital's boilers leaking into the water supply.

It said filters had been fitted to taps and showers, with flushing being carried out twice a day, and portable sinks and bottled water brought in to protect patients.

It said about a quarter of the building had been affected, with no patients infected.

A spokesperson said: "We appreciate that this continues to present significant challenges across the organisation, particularly given the length of time the incident has been ongoing, but it is essential that we continue to follow the required safety processes.

"We are expecting further results imminently and hope to be able to provide another update very soon."

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