Hospital getting surge hub to prepare for a wave of Omicron
NIGHTINGALE FACILITY ONE OF EIGHT BEING SET UP ACROSS ENGLAND
A temporary Covid-19 hub is to be set up at Leicester General Hospital to prepare for the prospect of a major wave of Omicron patients.
The surge hub will be one of eight in England and will have a capacity of about 100 beds, according to NHS England.
Daily cases in the UK exceeded 100,000 for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic on December 22, with a total of 106,122.
By Wednesday, daily cases had reached 183,037.
The Nightingale hubs will be designed to take patients who need minimal support and monitoring while they recover but are not fit for discharge.
NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “Given the high level of Covid-19 infections and increasing hospital admissions, the NHS is now on a war footing.
“We do not yet know exactly how many of those who catch the virus will need hospital treatment, but given the number of infections we cannot wait to find out before we act and so work is beginning from today to ensure these facilities are in place.
“We hoped never to have to use the original Nightingales and I hope we never to have to use these new hubs.”
He said the public can “play their part” by following guidance to limit the spread of the infection and take up the booster dose of the vaccine.
The other new hubs will be at Royal Preston Hospital, St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, Lister Hospital in Stevenage, St George’s Hospital in London, The William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent, North Bristol Hospital, and Solihull Hospital. They will be staffed by a mix of consultants, nurses and other clinical and non-clinical staff.
Hospitals are currently using hotels, hospices and care homes to safely discharge as many people who are medically fit to leave as possible.
NHS trusts have also been asked to find spaces that could be converted to accommodate patients as part of plans for further 4,000 beds.
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “We’ve backed the NHS at every turn throughout this pandemic to make sure it provides the care and treatment people need.
“I want to thank the efforts of our health workers on the frontline who are delivering for patients every day.
“We hope the Nightingale surge hubs at hospitals will not have to be used but it is absolutely right that we prepare for all scenarios and increase capacity.”
The British Medical Association (BMA) said it wants clarity on how the hubs will operate.
Dr Vishal Sharma, BMA consultants committee chairman, said: “The government is once again putting plans into place to attempt to cope with what could be a significant rise in the numbers of patients needing hospital care.
“However, as with the previous Nightingale plans, there is no real clarity on where the staff will come from to work in these eight sites.
“Even though they are on existing hospital premises, it is not clear how many doctors and other healthcare staff will be needed.
“There are already more than 100,000 staff vacancies in the NHS and we don’t simply have a bank of spare doctors waiting to take up jobs.”
He said healthcare workers off sick or isolating were compounding the problem.