Farewell to Louisa Jordan ... the Covid hospital that didn’t treat a virus patient
WHEN it opened last summer it was feared the temporary hospital could soon be deluged with victims of the pandemic, after hospital wards became overwhelmed.
But yesterday the NHS Louisa Jordan in Glasgow was dismantled after a decision it was no longer needed.
The temporary Covid hospital, built in Glasgow’s Scottish Events Campus (SEC) Centre, did not treat any virus patients in the eight months it was operational but hosted outpatient appointments for services such as dermatology and plastic surgery.
More than 32,000 appointments took place at the hospital, with more than 6,900 healthcare staff and students trained at the site.
Around 17 ,000 people were also vaccinated against Covid there.
The programme will continue at the SSE Hydro at the SEC.
Yesterday, workers began to dismantle the Louisa Jordan, with equipment such as CT scanners transferred for use in other NHS facilities.
Following its closure, Jill Young, chief executive of NHS Louisa Jordan, said: ‘NHS Louisa Jordan was not needed to treat Covid inpatients. However, it has made a huge impact as part of NHS recovery and remobilisation of our health system.
‘Without NHS Louisa Jordan, thousands of people would not have had outpatient and diagnostic appointments, important research and training would not have been carried out, and as one of the largest vaccinations centres in the UK, we have played a vitally important role to protect our NHS and save lives.
‘NHS Louisa Jordan has been a true collaboration from inception to decommission. I want to thank everyone who has supported the establishment and running of NHS Louisa Jordan and vaccinations.’