Nightingale hospital how are they being used now?

The Nightingale centres were not designed, set up or staffed to be equivalent to hospitals. They were merely overflow facilities, meant mainly for those already on ventilators and the dying.

(In the same way, the refrigerated lorries in crematoria car parks were not equivalent to funeral homes.)

The London Nightingale was hardly used - as London has far more than it's fair share of hospitals anyway.

The government, of course, knew exactly what they were doing when they discharged the elderly into care homes, delayed testing staff and providing adequate PPE. The elderly were to be sacrificed. The push for DNRs was a disgrace:

www.standard.co.uk/news/health/care-homes-coronavirus-matt-hancock-measures-a4414896.html

Like an insurance policy, costly but always a relief if not needed.

The Manchester Nightingale was shown on the evening news tonight. It is being kept 'just in case'.

It was announced today that the Exeter Nightingale Hospital is to become a cancer testing centre from Monday. Great news for local people who may have had appointments cancelled or rescheduled. This may well become a model for other towns with Nightingales.

Not just inept, completely negligent.
It would have been obvious that they were setting up a huge risk of infection for care home staff and residents.

FarNorth

I don't think anyone is moaning about them here, MawB.

They wouldn't be very suitable for elderly, confused patients with covid but possibly better than other options.

They may well be needed for further waves of infection in coming months, I think.

Have I said anybody was “moaning” ?
- even if I have since sensed an unspoken criticism of their creation.
I certainly think they would have been a cruel alternative to care homes for the elderly and possibly confused -although the policy of clearing hospital beds in anticipation was appallingly ineptly handled.

There is nothing suitable though Farnorth it’s what is necessary Very elderly ill people are not going to be happy moving to hospital but it should have been a complete necessity to contain this virus in specialist hospital like we used to with TB instead of which they were seen in hospital some would be admitted if very ill those not so ill were sent back to the care home to spread it amongst staff and others living there
Those early months March/ April are what sent our figures rocketing 16,000 deaths accredited to care homes that’s over a third of all deaths in U.K.

I don't think anyone is moaning about them here, MawB.

They wouldn't be very suitable for elderly, confused patients with covid but possibly better than other options.

They may well be needed for further waves of infection in coming months, I think.

There will of course be those who deplore the amount of money "wasted" on them - probably the same people who would have complained just as bitterly if the plan to build them had been rejected and then existing hospitals had been unable to house all those who might have needed admitting. Insurance again!

That insurance may still be needed soon, so don't convert them into flats for fruit pickers too soon.

They were only ever used to a very small degree our friend was put up in a hotel for three weeks waiting for a shift she did a weeks work and was then stood down I think there was about 56 people used London Nightingale at the most I don’t think the others were used at all
If only the people from care homes had been put in these as specialist hospitals (together) in stead of being sent back to their care homes to spread the virus, many lives would have been saved and our numbers would have been a lot lower

The one in Exeter is due to be finished next week. It is in an old Homebase building out of town. Matt Hancock was questioned in the House on its future use and he replied along the lines that it would serve the community well throughout the winter months. Not quite sure if he meant a second wave of CV or a more general flu outbreak?

Conference centres will go back to being conference centres once large gatherings are allowed, though that will be some time off. The need for them has passed, and since they weren't staffed, staff had to come from other hospitals to the Nightingales, depleting those hospitals of intensive care staff, it wasn't really that much in the way of spare capacity.

Big question
Would we rather the rate of infection (and subsequent death rate) had been such that we needed all that spare capacity?
Or are we relieved that things did not get even worse than they did?
OK it was one area where there was an over provision of capacity, but I don’t think many would have moaned if the provision of PPE had been similarly overestimated.

Elegant
No not to be used for other ops but used now for those who are suffering Covid now and in the future.

I thought I read they’d been ‘mothballed’ for future use but I’m guessing not at the O2 in London they’ll want get back to making a profit.

I suspect they may be empty in readiness for a second wave. It is almost certainly going to happen, and if they were full of people getting other ops, they would have to be shunted around. Plus I don't think they are set up or equipped for surgery.

You know i asked myself the same question this morning. there has been no mention of what has happened to this since. maybe someone who reads this might know. I think the government should be asked this question in Question Time.