NHS Nightingale Hospital North East
{{about|the NHS temporary COVID-19 hospital in the North East|other hospitals named "NHS Nightingale"|NHS Nightingale Hospitals|other hospitals named "Nightingale"|Nightingale Hospital (disambiguation)}}
{{Short description|Temporary NHS COVID-19 hospital set up in Washington}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox hospital
| name = NHS Nightingale Hospital North East
| org/group = Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
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| image = NHS Nightingale North East, Washington (geograph 6840658).jpg
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| coordinates = {{coord|54.92396|N|1.47837|W|type:landmark_scale:3000|display=inline,title}}
| location = Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing, Washington, Tyne and Wear
| healthcare = NHS England
| funding =
| type = COVID-19 critical care
Field hospital
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| emergency =
| beds = {{Plainlist|
- up to 460 people
}}
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| opened = 5 May 2020
| closed = 31 March 2022
| website = {{URL|https://coronavirus.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/nhs-nightingale-north-east/}}
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The NHS Nightingale Hospital North East was one of the temporary NHS Nightingale Hospitals set up by NHS England to help to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. It was constructed inside the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing, Washington.
Background
To add extra critical care capacity during the COVID-19 epidemic in England, and to treat those with COVID-19, plans were made to create further temporary hospital spaces for those in need of treatment and care.{{cite news |last1=Sabbagh |first1=Dan |title=Army likely to embed medics in NHS hospitals to help fight coronavirus |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/16/army-likely-to-embed-medics-in-nhs-hospitals-to-help-fight-coronavirus-operation-broadshare |work=The Guardian |date=16 March 2020|access-date=16 April 2020}}{{cite news |last=Schraer |first=Rachel |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/health-52018477 |title=ExCeL Centre to be used as coronavirus hospital |date=24 March 2020 |work=BBC News|access-date=16 April 2020}} They have been named "Nightingale Hospitals", after Florence Nightingale who came to prominence for nursing soldiers during the Crimean War and is regarded as the founder of modern nursing.{{cite news |title=Coronavirus: Nightingale Hospital opens at London's ExCel centre |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52150598 |work=BBC News |date=3 April 2020|access-date=16 April 2020}}
On 12 October, 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on standby.{{Cite news|last=Sparrow|first=Andrew|date=2020-10-12|title=UK coronavirus live: Nightingale hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate on standby to take patients|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/oct/12/uk-coronavirus-news-boris-johnson-local-covid-restrictions-three-tier|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0261-3077}}
Details
The site was converted to be a hospital at the cost of £23.5 million.{{cite news |title=Sunderland's £23.5m Nightingale Hospital closes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-60947421 |access-date=31 March 2022 |work=BBC News |date=31 March 2022}} The site had 460 beds available with the building divided into 16 wards.{{cite web |title=Birmingham Nightingale hospital 'operational' |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-52245254 |website=BBC News |access-date=11 April 2020 |date=10 April 2020}} It was operated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.{{cite web |last1=Lindsay |first1=Kali |title=14 pictures of the new Nightingale hospital due to open in the North East |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/gallery/nhs-nightingale-hospital-ne-photos-18073195 |website=nechronicle |access-date=11 April 2020 |date=10 April 2020}} The hospital has been prepared by the British Armed forces working with the local NHS Trusts.{{cite web |title=This is when new 460-bed Nightingale Hospital North East will open near Nissan plant |url=https://www.shieldsgazette.com/health/coronavirus/new-460-bed-nightingale-hospital-be-opened-near-nissan-plant-2535465 |website=Shields Gazette |access-date=11 April 2020 |language=en |date=10 April 2020}} County Durham MP Richard Holden said, when announcing the hospital on 10 April, that it was expected to be open for patients in the following two weeks.
The hospital was officially opened on 5 May 2020, in a virtual ceremony, by Matt Hancock (Secretary of State for Health). The opening ceremony also featured television celebrities Ant and Dec, football pundit Alan Shearer and cricketer Ben Stokes.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52543900 |title=Coronavirus: Nightingale hospital opens in Sunderland |date=5 May 2020 |work=BBC News}}
It was not a conventional walk-in hospital - only patients who are already inpatients in other hospitals in the region and meet certain criteria were to be admitted.{{cite web |url=https://coronavirus.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/nhs-nightingale-north-east/about-nhs-nightingale-north-east/ |title=NHS Nightingale North East |website=NHS Newcastle Hospitals |access-date=9 May 2020}} They would have stayed at the hospital until they were assessed as being ready to move back to a local hospital.
The hospital was kept on standby to treat Covid patients but did not admit a single patient.[https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/sunderlands-nightingale-hospital-used-only-18890985 Sunderland's Nightingale Hospital will be used 'only as a last resort' in second Covid wave] 7 September 2020 www.chroniclelive.co.uk, accessed 14 October 2020[https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/oct/08/what-has-happened-to-englands-seven-nightingale-hospitals What has happened to England's seven Nightingale hospitals?] 8 October 2020 www.theguardian.com, accessed 14 October 2020 On 12 October 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on readiness to receive patients, but again did not.{{Cite news|last=Sparrow|first=Andrew|date=2020-10-12|title=UK coronavirus live: Nightingale hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate on standby to take patients|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/oct/12/uk-coronavirus-news-boris-johnson-local-covid-restrictions-three-tier|access-date=2020-10-12|issn=0261-3077}}
In January 2021 NHS England admitted that it would not be admitting any patients into the specially created hospital.{{cite news |last1=Edgar |first1=Bill |title=Nightingale Hospital to open as Covid-19 mass vaccination centre |url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/sunderland-nightingale-hospital-open-covid-19689241 |access-date=25 January 2021 |work=ChronicleLive |date=24 January 2021 |language=en}} Later the same month it was announced that the hospital was to become instead a mass vaccination centre.
On 31 March 2022 the hospital was closed for the final time.{{cite news |last1=Ford |first1=Helen |title=North East landmark of the pandemic closes its doors for good |url=https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2022-03-29/north-east-landmark-of-the-pandemic-closes-its-doors-for-good |access-date=31 March 2022 |work=ITV News |date=30 March 2022 |language=en}}
Transportation
On 25 January 2021, Go North East introduced a bus route branded ConnectorShuttle which operated between Concord bus station and the Nightingale Hospital. The service connected with bus route 56 at the bus station.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021-01-25|title=Go North East launches one of the UK's first dedicated vaccination shuttle bus services|url=https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2021/01/25/go-north-east-launches-one-of-the-uks-first-dedicated-vaccination-shuttle-bus-services|access-date=2021-07-13|website=Bdaily Business News|language=en}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://coronavirus.newcastle-hospitals.nhs.uk/nhs-nightingale-north-east/ NHS Nightingale North East]
{{COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, Crown Dependencies and British Overseas Territories}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nightingale Hospital}}