Hospital main entrance to be locked overnight

The main entrance at Hull Royal Infirmary is to be locked overnight due to safety concerns, the hospital trust said.

Doors to the atrium will be closed between 00:00 and 06:00 with access via an intercom system.

The trust said the closure was down to a change in the law following the Manchester Arena bombing, which requires improvements to the security of public buildings.

Tom Myers, director of estates, facilities and development, said it would ensure "only those with a legitimate need to be there can gain access".

"It will assist us in our continued work to prevent anti-social behaviour on the site," he said.

"I'm sad to say that, increasingly, our security teams are being pulled away to deal with people coming into the building who have no need to be there, especially during the early hours of the morning.

"This can be intimidating for both staff and patients and, while we appreciate that having the doors locked may be inconvenient for some, the safety of our staff and those in our care will always be our priority."

People already in the hospital will still be able to exit using the atrium doors as normal.

However, only staff will have access to the atrium from outside the building during restricted hours, the trust said.

Any patients or visitors who legitimately need to use the entrance will be able to use a buzzer to contact the security team.

The new measures come into force from 9 March.

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