NHS Nightingale Hospital North East

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 will have 460 beds available with the building divided into 16 wards.[5] It will be operated by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.[6] The hospital has been prepared by the British Armed forces working with the local NHS Trusts.[7] 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.[6]

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.[8]

It is not a conventional walk-in hospital - only patients who are already inpatients in other hospitals in the region and meet certain criteria will be admitted.[9] They will stay at the hospital until they are assessed as being ready to move back to a local hospital.[9]

The hospital was kept on standby to treat Covid patients but did not admit a single patient.[10][11] 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.[12]

In January 2021 NHS England admitted that it will not be admitting any patients into the specially created hospital.[13] Later the same month it was announced that the hospital was to become instead a mass vaccination centre.[13]

• NHS Nightingale North East