First look inside Bristol’s NHS Nightingale hospital for coronavirus patients

The first picture from inside a NHS Nightingale hospital being built in the West Country to treat coronavirus patients has been shared online.

The hospital is being built at a conference centre at the University of the West of England (UWE) in Bristol.

Capable of caring for up to 1,000 patients, it will be staffed by NHS workers including medical students, former doctors and other key workers who have come out of retirement to help.

Deputy leader of North Somerset Council, Mike Bell, tweeted a picture of the new-look facility during a recent visit.

The picture shows work to convert the site is still in its initial stages.

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

Watch: First NHS Nightingale hospital opens at ExCel centre in London

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

In the UK, 55,000 people have now tested positive for Covid-19, while more than 6,000 people have died.

After it was confirmed a NHS Nightingale hospital would be built in Bristol, 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”.

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the West Country, including case numbers, event cancellations and venue closures, click here.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know