Extra ICU beds at Belfast City Hospital - but no Nightingale unit

Extra intensive care beds are being made available at Belfast City Hospital – but there are currently no plans for it to become a region-wide Nightingale facility again. Coronavirus cases have surged in Northern Ireland – with the country now overtaking England with the highest rate of new cases in the United Kingdom. With the Royal Victoria and Mater hospitals nearing capacity for ICU patients, the Belfast Trust are looking to expand the beds available for those in the city. On Sunday, the Belfast and South Eastern Trusts made an emergency appeal for off-duty staff to work as hospitals came under pressure.

The Executive are to meet later to discuss any further easing of coronavirus measures.