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31
Jul 2020
No confirmation on Nightingale future as contract expires
There is still no confirmation from the NHS over the future of the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate with just hours to go until the contract expires.
NHS England had agreed to use Harrogate Convention Centre until the end of July for its temporary field hospital.
However, with the clock ticking to the end of the agreement today, there is still no confirmation of what will happen next. A spokesperson for the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber said:
Read more:
- Harrogate Nightingale cost £15m - but still no news on its future
- Harrogate businesses back £47m conference centre renovation
The NHS has not confirmed what arrangement is in place after midnight tonight for the hospital to be removed, should it fail to agree a new contract with the centre's owners, Harrogate Borough Council.
The Nightingale hospital cost £15m to build and was officially opened in April by Captain Tom Moore, who has since been knighted by the Queen.
It took three weeks to build but has never been used to treat Covid patients. Instead, since early June, it has provided CT scans to help the NHS catch up on tests delayed during the height of the crisis.
Last week, calls were made for the future of the Nightingale hospital to be confirmed in order to allow local businesses to plan for the coming months. If the hospital is decommissioned, Harrogate Convention Centre will be able to reopen for events, which bring significant money to the town's hospitality businesses.
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