A Wycombe councillor fears for the safety of Buckinghamshire residents after it was announced that patients from a a major trauma centre would be evacuated over fire safety issues.

Cladding, insufficient fire breaks between floors and vulnerable patients being unable to get out quickly enough during a fire means 52 patients will be moved out of the Trauma Unit at John Radcliffe Hospital on Friday (August 4).

Wycombe District and Bucks County Council cllr Julia Wassell is calling for an “immediate alternative” as Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) prepares to move the entire unit, including specialised equipment, across two wards in the main hospital building.

However OUH insisted that the Trauma Unit would not be closing as the ground floor outpatient clinic area would remain open for patient use while works, which could take up to a year to complete, take place.

It comes after the trust received recommendations from a report it had commissioned into fire safety across its buildings in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Cllr Wassell said: “The Trust have not said where the beds will be relocated to following the discovery of the unsafe cladding. There needs to be an investigation of how this cladding was commissioned in view of the disruption that will ensue.

“The unit is otherwise state of the art with highly successful outcomes, including for Wycombe and Bucks patients.

“It has often been cited as the best possible resource following the closure of Wycombe’s Accident and Emergency Department in 2006.

“With our local proximity to the M40 and the number of serious RTAs that occur, an immediate alternative will be needed.

“Whilst the trust has acted rapidly to identify the issue, what are the consequences for patients locally and in the region?”

Dr Bruno Holthof, chief executive of OUH said: “Our highest priority is the patients in our care and our staff who are dedicated in their care for those patients.

“In common with many other organisations with public buildings, the trust has been reviewing its fire safety procedures and systems following the tragic events in London.

“We will implement any changes necessary to ensure that our patients are safe.”