First patients arrive at London’s new Nightingale Hospital as it officially joins the nation’s battle against coronavirus
- NHS Nightingale has converted sports centre into 4,000 patient facility
- The ‘spectacular’ hospital was opened by Prince Charles on video link on Friday
- Tonight it has opened up to patients and is being staffed by NHS medics
- It has been created to boost capacity as London is nation’s COVID-19 epicentre
The first patients have arrived at London’s new Nightingale Hospital tonight as it officially joins the nation’s battle against coronavirus.
Professor Richard Schilling, a consultant cardiologist at London Bridge Hospital, tweeted a photo with his colleagues tonight. He wrote: ‘@NightingaleLDN is now open to help London. Here is the first team coming on duty.’
It comes after Dominic Raab, standing in for Boris Johnson who is in intensive care with the disease, confirmed Tuesday was Britain’s deadliest day so far with another 854 fatalities, taking the total to 6,227.
Meanwhile Downing Street confirmed another 3,634 people had been infected, taking the total to 55,242 with COVID-19.
The first patients have arrived at London ‘s new Nightingale Hospital tonight as it officially joins the nation’s battle against coronavirus
Paramedics and medical staff with waiting ambulances outside the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London
Professor Richard Schilling, a consultant cardiologist at London Bridge Hospital, tweeted a photo with his colleagues tonight
Prince Charles opened the Nightingale Hospital by video link on Friday, a 100-acre site at London’s ExCel sports centre which has been converted for up to 4,000 patients.
The Prince of Wales told how he was ‘enormously touched’ to have been asked to launch the facility via video-link from his Scottish home at Birkhall.
His address came four days after Charles completed self-isolation following his own diagnosis, although he only suffered ‘mild’ symptoms.
The opening was attended in person by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Health Minister Nadine Dorries, who have also both had the virus but now recovered.
A hospital bed and respirator at ExCel London, seen inside during its conversion into the temporary NHS Nightingale Hospital
The new hospital (seen in timelapse footage) is part of a nationwide push to increase capacity on a huge scale
Charles told those gathered at the Hospital’s entrance: ‘I was enormously touched to have been asked to open the Nightingale Hospital as part of a mass mobilisation to withstand the coronavirus crisis.
‘It is without doubt a spectacular and almost unbelievable feat of work in every sense, from its speed of construction in just nine days to its size and the skills of those who have a created it.’
Health Secretary, Matt Hancock at the opening of the NHS Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre in London on April 3
The ExCel centre in London, which has been made into the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak