COVID-19 hospitals in the United Kingdom
COVID-19 hospitals in the United Kingdom are temporary hospitals set up in the United Kingdom and overseas territories as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
They principally include the seven NHS England Nightingale Hospitals, NHS Scotland's Louisa Jordan hospital, NHS Wales' Dragon's Heart Hospital, and the Northern Irish Health and Social Care site at Belfast City Hospital, as well as the Florence Nightingale temporary hospital in the Europa Point Sports Complex, Gibraltar.
Background[edit]
As the COVID-19 pandemic first took hold in the United Kingdom, its government and the public health services of the home nations started planning the creation of temporary large-scale critical care hospitals to provide cover for the projected increase in patients likely to require this type of treatment.[1][2][3][4] It reflected wider NHS re-structuring to prepare for the COVID-19 pandemic and anticipated strain on NHS services [5]
The initiative is being carried out in coordination with the British Armed Forces' COVID Support Force, under the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities provisions,[6] as part of Operation Rescript.[7]
The field hospitals were intended to be used treat critical care patients regarded as being less severely ill, while the most severely ill patients would be treated in mainstream NHS hospitals.[8]
In the early part of 2020, the hospitals saw relatively few Covid patients, and as case number dropped over the summer they were either mothballed or re-purposed.
On 12 October 2020, amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospitals in Harrogate, Manchester, and Washington were placed on standby in readiness to admit patients with COVID-19.[9]
HSC Northern Ireland[edit]
HSC Northern Ireland started planning for a similar initiative in mid-March 2020, with a number of sites under consideration.[72][73]
HSC Northern Ireland is also using the "Nightingale" name for its hospitals.[74]
On 2 April it was reported that the tower block of Belfast City Hospital was being converted into the first Nightingale in Northern Ireland.[75][76] The block was to become a 230-bed unit staffed by a team drawn from across Northern Ireland.[75]
The same report also stated that First Minister Arlene Foster had revealed that a Nightingale hospital could be based at the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Balmoral Park, and that the Department of Health was assessing its potential as a second Nightingale facility in preparation for a possible second wave later in 2020.[75]
Jersey[edit]
A "Nightingale" field hospital was completed as a 'wing' of Jersey General Hospital (on a playing field 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) away) and opened on 11 May 2020.[79]
Staffing[edit]
At full capacity, it was estimated that the NHS Nightingale Hospital London alone would need up to 16,000 workers to keep it running.[80]
Nursing leaders expressed concern about where the extra workers to staff the new hospitals would be found.[81] The government issued a call for airline cabin crew to volunteer to be cross-trained as specialist health assistants.[82]