AT a time of heightened tension, following the Paris and Copenhagen shootings, Southend Hospital was suddenly plunged into an emergency situation – one that had some of the trappings of a potential terrorist plot.

The discovery of a live hand grenade precipitated what must be any hospital manager’s worst nightmare, the complete evacuation of a hospital building.

Two weeks after that event, the hospital’s acting chief-executive has finally had the chance to take stock of the crisis.

Her own assessment tallies with the broad consensus from those who witnessed the evacuation at first hand, which applauded the hospital for the speed and calmness with which a fraught and complex operation was conducted.

In an operation of this sort, speed of reaction has to override every other consideration. It was a nightmare situation, but hospital staff followed the established procedure, and evacuated the building without panic or mishap.

Then, when the all-clear was given, they reversed the process.

Southend Hospital, like other hospitals in the region, has taken its fair share of kicking in recent years.

It is facing budget pressures and increasing demands from an ageing population.

But when the hospital gets something right, as it did on this occasion, its achievement should be acknowledged.

Whatever the problems faced by the NHS, its ability to perform well in a crisis seems, on present evidence, as strong as ever.