NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham

HelipadBirmingham AirportHistoryOpened16 April 2020Closed1 April 2021LinksWebsitenightingale-birmingham.nhs.uk

The NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham was the second 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 National Exhibition Centre, Solihull, and opened on 16 April 2020.^[1] It cost £66.4 million to set up and was the most expensive of all the Nightingale temporary hospitals. On 1 April 2021 the hospital closed without ever treating a patient.^[2]

Background

To add extra critical care capacity during the COVID-19 epidemic in the UK, and to treat those with COVID-19, plans were made to create further temporary hospital spaces for those in need of treatment and care.^[3][4] 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.^[5]

Details

The hospital was constructed in 8 days by 400 civilian personnel, 500 clinical staff and military personnel to a cost of £66.4 million.^[6][7] It was announced as operational on 10 April 2020,^[8] and was initially scheduled to receive its first patients on 12 April.^[9][10] It was formally opened by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, via remote video link, on 16 April.^[11]

It was intended to support 23 Midlands hospitals by taking patients who were convalescing from having COVID-19, patients who are required less intensive treatment, and patients who needed palliative care.^[9] In doing this it would have relieved pressure on conventional hospitals where the most seriously ill patients were treated.^[9] The hospital fell under the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.^[9]

It was the second temporary 'Nightingale Hospital' to be built in England,^[9] following NHS Nightingale London, that opened on 3 April 2020 in the ExCeL London exhibition and convention centre.^[12]

The hospital occupied halls 8-12 and 16 of the NEC, connected via the Atrium.^[13] It had 496 beds divided into four wards from day one, with the option to expand to 800 immediately if needed.^[14] A plan for a second phase was envisaged that would have brought the number of beds in use up to 2,000, however this was never necessary.^[14] In the worst-case scenario 4,000 beds would have been available.^[14]

It included a new Tesco store exclusively for the use of its staff.^[15]

The hospital never treated any patients due to existing hospitals being able to absorb the increased demand.^[2] It closed on 1 April 2021, less than a year after opening.^[7]

Personnel

The following were involved in the creation of the hospital:

• Paul Thandi (CEO of the NEC Group).^[16]
• Anthony Marsh (West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive).^[16]
• Major Angela Laycock (66 Works Group, 170 Infrastructure Support Engineer Group, Royal Engineers).^[16][14]
• Dr David Rosser (Chief Executive, University Hospitals Birmingham).^[16][14]
• Lisa Stalley-Green (Executive Chief Nurse, University Hospitals Birmingham and Chief Nurse of NHS Nightingale Birmingham).^[14]
• Morag Gates (Project Director, NHS Nightingale Birmingham).^[14]

References

External links

• Official website
• Report by ITV News on 8 April 2020 on NHS Nightingale Hospital Birmingham
• Telegraph YouTube video depicting the construction in timelapse