To add extra critical care capacity during theCOVID-19 epidemic in England, and to treat those withCOVID-19, plans were made to create further temporary hospital spaces for those in need of treatment and care.[1][2] They have been named "Nightingale Hospitals", afterFlorence Nightingale who came to prominence for nursing soldiers during theCrimean War and is regarded as the founder of modernnursing.[3]
On 12 October, 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on standby.[4]
The site was converted to be a hospital at the cost of £23.5 million.[5] The site had 460 beds available with the building divided into 16 wards.[6] It was operated byNewcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.[7] The hospital has been prepared by the British Armed forces working with the local NHS Trusts.[8]County Durham MPRichard Holden said, when announcing the hospital on 10 April, that it was expected to be open for patients in the following two weeks.[7]
It was not a conventional walk-in hospital - only patients who are already inpatients in other hospitals in the region and meet certain criteria were to be admitted.[10] They would have stayed at the hospital until they were assessed as being ready to move back to a local hospital.[10]
The hospital was kept on standby to treat Covid patients but did not admit a single patient.[11][12] On 12 October 2020 amidst a rise in cases in Northern England, the hospital was placed on readiness to receive patients, but again did not.[13]
In January 2021 NHS England admitted that it would not be admitting any patients into the specially created hospital.[14] Later the same month it was announced that the hospital was to become instead a mass vaccination centre.[14]
On 31 March 2022 the hospital was closed for the final time.[15]
On 25 January 2021,Go North East introduced a bus route branded ConnectorShuttle which operated betweenConcord bus station and the Nightingale Hospital. The service connected with bus route 56 at the bus station.[16]
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