What is the point of the Nightingale hospital

[Eastie77]

Reading this evening (Guardian, Independent) that the Nightingale hospital in East London has just 30 patients. Doctors and nurses working in over-stretched hospitals are saying the facility is failing to take any seriously ill patients and they cannot access vital pieces of medical equipment including ventilators and PPE which have been earmarked for the Nightingale but are sitting around unused

A lot of senior clinicians seem to think the whole project has been a pointless political exercise and I can see their point of view.
Since the Chief Medical Officer has said today we are 'probably' reaching our peak and the Nightingale is virtually empty doesn't it make sense to just close it and redeploy all of that vital equipment??

It's been a pointless political exercise. Grandstanding at its finest.

It was an insurance policy. You don’t kick yourself when you get back from holiday because you didn’t use your holiday insurance by something going wrong... we may be over the peak of this wave but we are in this for the long haul.

I read it's refusing to accept critically ill patients. Presumably because there isn't enough equipment or staff. Meanwhile people are dying at home or in care homes without treatment. So it's not that the nightingale isn't needed.

Is it because they've cancelled all routine operations so they've been able to turn many regular beds into ICU beds, so no need to ship COVID-19 patients to Nightingale?

Just because it is empty now does not mean it will stay that way. The hospital I work in - a majority have COVID 19 as it has spread around. Most who need ITU will be there for many days or even weeks, so at some point we will not have the ITU capacity to enable us to upgrade people from general wards to ITU. This will be the same for many of the London hospitals. The high numbers we are seeing now will continue for many weeks, so an overflow will be needed.

I had hoped it would act as isolation so that other hospitals could be safer but I’m not sure now. If they haven’t got staff or equipment....

They refused to accept my mum’s friend because it was pointless but if they had taken her, better to be there than in a regular hospital?

As pp said, it's an insurance policy. If its barely used, that's good news.

They are there incase hospitals are overwhelmed. It is a good thing they have not been used much yet. I for one am glad they are there.

An example of how the government are damned if they do, damned if they don't

Some posters on here are hard to please! There would be criticism if additional beds hadn't been created. The government is damned if they do and damned if they don't on this issue. I'd like to see some hospitals get back to normal and treat cancer patients and provide other essential treatment. Wouldn't you OP? Let the Nightingales take confirmed Covi cases. Once testing is faster, perhaps hospitals can achieve Covis-free wings to facilitate that. No guarantee of not getting infected, but a lot less risky than going into hospital now.

I wouldn't damn them if they were actually using the nightingale. People being denied treatment whilst a new hospital stands empty is hardly praiseworthy. Either it should be used for Covid-19 patients, even if just palliative care, or as a "clean" hospital for non Covid work. It's certainly needed.

I think if the crisis reaches the point where these hospitals are needed and they weren’t available, there would be serious questions. A case of damned if do, damned if don’t.

Can't you just be pleased if it's not needed?

IF we have managed to flatten the peak enough that it's not required, that's a GOOD thing. However, don't hold your breath, we are a long way from out of the woods yet.

Toffee, agree, but guessing the issue is staffing.

Interesting article here

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-52284262

It's an insurance policy. I'm sure people would be moaning if it weren't there. I am very pleased to hear it's empty.

Sadly i dont think it will stay that quiet.

I spoke to my consultant last week , im shielding, if i was to get it, as soon as i get symptoms, don't wait, ring 111 and explain why I'm sheilding.
He said i may not be admitted into my local hospital, he said the information being fed into hospitals are changing daily but more than likely i would be transferred to London (80 miles away)

Who knows what's going to happen, but i personally think we are no where near the peak and in the next few weeks, we will be topping 1200/ 1300 deaths a day

Well I’m glad they have that hospital. Lockdown has to end sometime and they must be prepared. Surely that’s the whole point.

@ToffeeYoghurt

If people aren't being admitted it's because hospitalisation won't help them. Ventilation is brutal. Sadly Palliative Care is the best option for many.

I have yet to hear of one medical professional in the U.K. say a patient was unable to be have oxygen or be fully ventilated due to lack of resources. Long may that last.

The Harrogate one does not appear to be operational

They put concrete re-inforcement in front of it before hiding it behind hoardings.

“ Ventilation is brutal. ”

I definitely won’t have it again.

Toffee, I think maybe we spoke about mum’s friends on the other thread. It was much, much better for her to die at home. There was a visit from a palliative care nurse so I assumed EOL drugs were given. But definitely better to die at home than in the Nightingale.

*Friend singular

Although a second Covid friend who was recovering ...is now not. I think he’s 79.

The "just" 30 patients in there would be where if the Nightingale hadn't been there??

I am glad we have these hospitals. They may not be needed in totality, but they maybe needed, we don’t know. People e been complaining, rightly ,about the lack of ppe, but would soon complain even more if beds and ventilators were not available.

We don’t know when this is going to finish, or even if we have reached the peak. Say they carry on at 3500 to 4500 daily as at the moment , these are identified cases from hospital testing, and they go there when really ill taking up beds from 1to 3 weeks and more. It’s not sustainable to have that many requiring treatment without the nightingale hospitals.

Look at how many routines and cancer treatments have been stopped.

Maybe they will help with thay