NHS Nightingale Hospital North West is officially open

Less than three weeks since work first started, NHS Nightingale Hospital North West officially opens today in central Manchester, to provide care for hundreds of patients with Covid-19 from across the region.

Many organisations have come together to build a new hospital at the Manchester Central Convention Centre in just two weeks. 

The hospital will provide the best possible care for patients with Covid-19 from across the region, and will help save lives.

Some patients have already been admitted as the hospital opens on a gradual and safe basis over the coming days and weeks.  

Modelling in the North West predicts that the peak need for the highest-level critical care beds can be met by existing hospitals if the new hospital provides additional capacity for lower-level care. 

The NHS Nightingale Hospital North West will provide both oxygen therapy and general medical care for COVID-19 patients who do not need critical care, and can look after up to 750 patients at full capacity.

Patients will be transferred from the North West’s hospitals’ critical care units and wards directly to the new hospital.

The new temporary hospital is one of seven Nightingale hospitals to be set up around the country as part of a massive NHS effort to respond to the greatest global health emergency in more than a century.

This extra capacity is on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals – the equivalent of building 50 district general hospitals – and the up to 8,000 beds put at the NHS’ disposal through an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.

Workforce recruitment began at the end of March, and is being co-ordinated by NHS Professionals. 

Thousands of staff have expressed interest in working at the hospital, and many have already been recruited, inducted, trained and have started work.  

Michael McCourt, Chief Executive of NHS Nightingale Hospital North West, said: “Building this hospital in just a couple of weeks has taken the determination and boundless energy of people from many organisations who have come together to ensure our NHS has the necessary capacity during the pandemic, in what is an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis. 

"We have many people to thank for their efforts including the NHS, the army, the fire service, police, Network Rail, construction partners, Manchester Foundation Trust, Manchester City Council and of course the Manchester Central Convention Centre itself in which the hospital is based. 

"Thank you too to the many local businesses which have provided goods and services to help us get up and running. 

“We now need to focus our efforts on providing the best possible care for our patients, and continue to support the hospitals in the North West to save lives.

There are enough of the highest-level critical care beds available in existing hospitals across the North West to meet the expected peak demand, with the Nightingale providing additional capacity for lower-level care. 

The NHS Nightingale Hospital North West will provide both oxygen therapy and general medical care for COVID-19 patients who do not need critical care.

An initial 36 beds will be available, but this could be expanded up to 750 if this is needed.

Sarah Price, Interim Chief Officer, Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership, said: “I’m enormously proud of the role Greater Manchester has in the new Nightingale North West Hospital.

"We’ve had such a wonderful response to get up and running so quickly and I’m grateful to each person who has played a part in this.

"I extend my thanks to all those health, care and support staff who will be working there to help treat Coronavirus patients.”

The official opening provides an opportunity to thank all those involved who have pulled out all the stops to ensure that capacity still exists to care for patients with coronavirus.

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