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Apr 2020

Last Updated: 21/04/2020

Harrogate's Nightingale hospital officially opened by fundraising army veteran

by Vicky Carr

| 21 Apr, 2020

The Nightingale hospital being created at Harrogate Convention Centre will be officially opened today by health secretary Matt Hancock, NHS chief executive Simon Stevens, and fundraising veteran Captain Tom Moore.

The Nightingale hospital being created at Harrogate Convention Centre will be officially opened today, with three high profile names set to take part in the ceremony.

Captain Tom Moore, the veteran who has raised more than £27m for NHS Charities Together, will join Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS chief executive Simon Stevens via video link this afternoon.

One of seven of its kind around the country, NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been constructed in less than three weeks and will offer 500 beds for coronavirus patients should existing local services be unable to meet demand.

NHS England says it has already freed up 33,000 additional beds and, in an unprecedented deal, has access to 8,000 beds through the independent healthcare sector. As a result, it says, capacity still exists in hospitals but Nightingale hospitals will be ready to take patients if needed.

Steve Russell, chief executive of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and The Humber, and of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This new NHS Nightingale Hospital – like the others across the country - is an extraordinary achievement, and provides local people and staff with the reassurance that there will be additional beds available if they are required. It is a vital insurance policy, which we hope will not be needed.

“Our doctors, nurses, therapists and other health and social care staff across Yorkshire and the Humber are working incredibly hard to make sure people get the care they need during what is the single greatest challenge in the history of the NHS, but they can’t do it alone. The most important thing remains for the public to continue to follow expert advice and stay at home - reducing the number of people who get the virus, and therefore the need for NHS treatment.”

The huge effort by NHS staff, members of the armed forces and the team at Harrogate Convention Centre was praised by Mr Hancock. He said:

“I have been incredibly impressed by the sheer dedication, professionalism and altruism of everyone involved in setting up NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and The Humber – from the NHS clinical staff and engineers to the construction workers and military planners.

“It’s an honour to be asked to open this hospital alongside Captain Tom Moore. During this worrying and difficult time for our whole country his phenomenal achievement has reminded us of our common bonds and served to further unite us. My heartfelt thanks also goes out to all the staff who will be working on the ground, providing extra capacity for patients if local hospitals need it."

More:

Video: A rapid feat of construction and engineering

Video: Celebrities praise NHS workers at Harrogate's Nightingale hospital