Nightingale hospitals

[AAGR]

What is the current situation with the quickly-erected Nightingale Hospitals ? Have they been busy ? Have then been deserted ? Have some of them been closed down ?

[Riley Blue]

https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1860

[alorotom]

Most need to stay in-situ until early 2021 as the predicted Annual winter flu challenge looks to be much greater than normal as pharma companies have been sidelined looking at Covid19 dev rather than winter flu strains.

Some are moving as the leases were only short term

One of the ones I am involved with isn’t open yet (I’ve worked on 4 so far)

Some are being used / repurposed to turn on elective activity (where possible)

It’s also actually a massive positive that they haven’t been needed to the level initially suspected

[Haltamer]

alorotom said:

It’s also actually a massive positive that they haven’t been needed to the level initially suspected

I've seen a few people on other sites criticising their lack of use, which seems a little odd - Surely it's good that there is an effective contingency plan in place, and that there hasn't been the need!

I do wonder if the nightingale hospitals were part of a longstanding pandemic flu response plan or if they were a more recent conception.

[alorotom]

Haltamer said:

alorotom said:

It’s also actually a massive positive that they haven’t been needed to the level initially suspected

I've seen a few people on other sites criticising their lack of use, which seems a little odd - Surely it's good that there is an effective contingency plan in place, and that there hasn't been the need!

I do wonder if the nightingale hospitals were part of a longstanding pandemic flu response plan or if they were a more recent conception.

The concept had been considered previously but red-tape was always the issue (commissioners acting too slow, providers needing to move fast, willingness from suppliers to rapidly deliver, etc...) the COVID19 response provided a perfect storm to realise them and they've been proven as effectual rapid response mechanisms that I expect to lead to a large shift change in the way the NHS is commissioned and governed in the coming 18-24mths max as an output (CCGs have been shown as ineffectual in the whole process and will likely be canned for it in favour of acute-led integrated care providers / partnerships / systems)