NHS to open eight ‘Nightingale’ hospitals as Omicron cases surge
Eight temporary “Nightingale” units are being built this week as Omicron surges across the UK.
These will house about 100 patients and hope to relieve the pressure on the NHS.
Record Covid case numbers were reported in the UK this week and NHS medical director Prof Stephen Powis said the service was on a “war footing”.
The BBC also reported that there are plans to identify sites for a further 4,000 beds if necessary.
Sajid Javid, health secretary, hopes that expanding emergency hospital capacity will remove the need for new curbs on the economy.
There have been 516 deaths recorded over the last week – 34.1 per cent lower than the previous seven days.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers praised the move as a “back up insurance policy”. But he said staffing the additional units “would be a major challenge”.