No patients have yet been admitted to Yorkshire's Nightingale hospital

THE Nightingale hospital at Harrogate has not taken in a single patient since it opened a week ago.
Staff holding a one-minute silence outside the Nightingale hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre to commemorate key workers on Kings Road Picture: James HardistyStaff holding a one-minute silence outside the Nightingale hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre to commemorate key workers on Kings Road Picture: James Hardisty
Staff holding a one-minute silence outside the Nightingale hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre to commemorate key workers on Kings Road Picture: James Hardisty

One of seven NHS Nightingale hospitals across the country, it has 500 critical care beds.

It is not a conventional walk-in hospital.

Only patients already on ventilators and receiving intensive care will be admitted, transferred from other hospitals across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

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A spokesperson for NHS England said there is still capacity at existing hospitals in the area to treat coronavirus patients.

But they added that the temporary hospital is ready to be used should the need arise.

A spokesperson said NHS staff who have done an induction training course at the Nightingale Hospital have now returned to their own hospitals where their work is currently most valuable.

The temporary hospital was created at the Harrogate Convention Centre – with construction taking less than two weeks.

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It was opened on Tuesday April 21 – with 99-year-old NHS fundraiser Captain Tom Moore appearing as guest of honour by video link.

The extra capacity provided by the seven Nightingale hopsitals is on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals - the equivalent of building 50 district general hospitals - and the up to 8,000 beds put at the NHS’ disposal through an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.