Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate ready to save lives – The Yorkshire Post says

As the great Betty Boothroyd OM ventured in yesterday’s edition in the former Speaker’s very own indomitable style, this extraordinary fundraiser has done more than anyone to lift the nation’s morale at this critical time.

But the Keighley-born soldier also knows – from his own distinguished military service – that the NHS, just like the Army, can only operate at its best when everyone pulls together as a team.

And while the public continue to show their appreciation for NHS workers and carers, the conversion of Harrogate Convention Centre into a 500-bed field hospital has been just that – a team effort like no other – and this was rightly acknowledged.

Six hundred staff including members of the Armed Forces, 30,000 hours of labour, 13 miles of copper, 18,000 square metres of hygienic walls and provision of over seven million litres of oxygen – the list is an endless one.

The facility is an insurance policy which offers immediate spare capacity if existing hospitals run out of beds to treat Covid-19 patients – at the moment there are no plans to treat people at the Nightingale.

But, in the meantime, this region should be thankful that it now has a hospital on standby which also does justice to the example set by nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale – and service of Captain Moore – as the world comes to terms with an enemy like no other in modern times.

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