A time-lapse video released today shows the progress being made in constructing a Nightingale surge hub at Lister Hospital in Stevenage, as part of national preparations for a potential surge in patients with COVID-19 due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
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Lister is one of eight hospitals across the country erecting temporary structures in their grounds, capable of housing around 100 patients and aimed at improving NHS resilience if increasing COVID-19 infections lead to a surge in admissions and outstrip existing capacity.
The Nightingale surge hub at Lister is in the Plaza area, directly outside the hospital's main entrance.
If hospitals need to activate the new beds, equipment previously used for the original Nightingale hospitals will be rapidly distributed to them.
The units would be led by hospital consultants and nurses, but with other clinical and non-clinical staff brought in with rapid training to be able to perform routine checks and other tasks.
The new Nightingale facilities are intended for patients who, although not fit for discharge, need minimal support and monitoring while they recover from illness, freeing up regular ward beds to provide care for those with more intensive needs.
Patients may include those recovering from COVID-19 who are no longer infectious and do not need intensive oxygen therapy.
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