Bristol Nightingale hospital to admit first patients since opening
A Nightingale hospital in Bristol will soon admit its first patients - more than six months after it was built.
The NHS facility, which was constructed in April in just 20 days at the University of the West of England, will start treating patients “shortly”.
Health bosses say this is to alleviate existing pressures at other hospitals in the city, including the BRI and Southmead.
The Nightingale hospital will not treat patients with coronavirus, but will instead host outpatient clinics and day-care services.
Tim Whittlestone, who is the Chief Medical Officer for the hospital, said: “The NHS Nightingale Hospital Bristol will shortly begin hosting outpatient clinics and day case services so that the NHS in the region has capacity to provide routine care and treat those with Covid-19.
“Our hospital will remain on standby to treat critically ill people with Covid-19 if needed, and we would like to thank our hosts at the University of West of England (UWE Bristol) for their continued support.”
Seven Nightingale hospitals were built in the UK during the height of the pandemic.
Many of them remained empty, however, and were subsequently repurposed or placed on standby.
This includes the facility in Bristol, as well as a purpose-built Nightingale in Exeter - which cost more than £20million to build.
Watch Richard Payne's report on Exeter's Nightingale hospital:
Helen Hancox, from the Royal College of Nursing, said there was a “real push” for the Exeter hospital to open soon.
"It's a real dilemma for the nursing leaders in the region,” she told ITV News West Country.
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