STAFF and a patient in a part of Ross Community Hospital were evacuated this morning (October 14) following the spillage of a cleaning agent.

Wye Valley NHS Trust said it had evacuated a small number of staff and a patient from the endoscopy unit at Ross Community Hospital as a precautionary measure following the spillage of a cleaning agent.

The trust said a small number of staff are being treated for minor ailments, and that no patients have been affected by the incident.

It added that staff involved in the incident were isolated from other staff and patients and put through a decontamination process.

A Trust spokesman said: “While the endoscopy unit remains closed at Ross Community Hospital, following checks by the fire service, for the rest of the hospital it is ‘business as usual’.

“Ross Community Hospital wards remain open and visiting is still permitted as per visiting hours.

“Patients whose appointments are being rescheduled are being contacted directly, and we’re also utilising an alternative endoscopy unit at another one of our sites for patient procedures where possible.

“We have tried and tested plans in place for this type of incident and we would like to thank our staff for their timely response”.