NHS Nightingale Hospital North East | |
---|---|
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | |
| |
Geography | |
Location | Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing, Washington, Tyne and Wear |
Coordinates | 54°55′26″N 1°28′42″W / 54.92396°N 1.47837°W |
Organisation | |
Care system | NHS England |
Type |
COVID-19 critical care Field hospital |
Services | |
Beds |
|
History | |
Opened | 5 May 2020 |
Closed | 31 March 2022 |
Links | |
Website |
coronavirus |
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.
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. [1] [2] 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. [3]
On 12 October, 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on standby. [4]
The site was converted to be a hospital at the cost of £23.5 million. [5] The site had 460 beds available with the building divided into 16 wards. [6] It was operated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. [7] The hospital has been prepared by the British Armed forces working with the local NHS Trusts. [8] 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. [7]
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. [9]
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. [10] They would have stayed at the hospital until they were assessed as being ready to move back to a local hospital. [10]
The hospital was kept on standby to treat Covid patients but did not admit a single patient. [11] [12] 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. [13]
In January 2021 NHS England admitted that it would not be admitting any patients into the specially created hospital. [14] Later the same month it was announced that the hospital was to become instead a mass vaccination centre. [14]
On 31 March 2022 the hospital was closed for the final time. [15]
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. [16]
NHS Nightingale Hospital North East | |
---|---|
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | |
| |
Geography | |
Location | Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Advanced Manufacturing, Washington, Tyne and Wear |
Coordinates | 54°55′26″N 1°28′42″W / 54.92396°N 1.47837°W |
Organisation | |
Care system | NHS England |
Type |
COVID-19 critical care Field hospital |
Services | |
Beds |
|
History | |
Opened | 5 May 2020 |
Closed | 31 March 2022 |
Links | |
Website |
coronavirus |
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.
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. [1] [2] 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. [3]
On 12 October, 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on standby. [4]
The site was converted to be a hospital at the cost of £23.5 million. [5] The site had 460 beds available with the building divided into 16 wards. [6] It was operated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. [7] The hospital has been prepared by the British Armed forces working with the local NHS Trusts. [8] 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. [7]
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. [9]
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. [10] They would have stayed at the hospital until they were assessed as being ready to move back to a local hospital. [10]
The hospital was kept on standby to treat Covid patients but did not admit a single patient. [11] [12] 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. [13]
In January 2021 NHS England admitted that it would not be admitting any patients into the specially created hospital. [14] Later the same month it was announced that the hospital was to become instead a mass vaccination centre. [14]
On 31 March 2022 the hospital was closed for the final time. [15]
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. [16]