Coronavirus hospital to be built in Bristol to treat West Country patients

A new NHS hospital is to be built in the West Country to treat up to 1,000 patients with coronavirus.

The facility will be built at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol in the coming weeks.

It will form part of the new NHS Nightingale hospitals, which include one already built in London, and two that are due to open in Manchester and Birmingham.

NHS Chief Executive Sir Simon Stevens said the hospital in Bristol will serve patients across the South West.

The Nightingale hospitals are part of a nationwide effort to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.

Beds being built at the newly-built NHS Nightingale facility in London. Credit: PA

According to the latest figures, more than a million cases of the virus have been registered around the world.

In the UK, 34,000 people have now tested positive for Covid-19 while nearly 3,000 people have died.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the makeshift hospitals will “ensure the NHS has whatever it needs to tackle the virus”.

Tim Bowles, who is the Mayor of the West of England, praised UWE for stepping forward in response to the “nation’s time of crisis”.

“While we all hope these bed spaces won’t be needed, it is absolutely right that we should be prepared,” he said.

“We all have to do our bit to prepare, and for the majority of us, that is staying at home to stop the virus spreading. However, some are able to do more, and I’m very grateful to the University of the West of England for stepping forward in such an important way in response to the coronavirus pandemic.”

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know