To think we just need to use the nightingale hospitals?

[Mummamama]

The (seven I think) nightingale hospitals that were built last year precisely for COVID have barely been used. Why can we not just set these up again and transfer COVID patients to them freeing up normal hospitals for usual things? My understanding was the army was going to he used to staff them, why can this not happen now??
I understand the importance of not overwhelming the NHS but there doesn't seem to be an end game plan anymore, we can't keep having restrictions forever. At some point surely everyone will get COVID and it seems you can get it multiple times. Is it not better then to use our resources to enable the NHS to cope with the inevitable rather than spending huge amounts on lockdowns?

"We are also have a major still evolving problem with covid+ staff shortages."

I think that may be the crux of the problem - staff shortages as a result of isolation will become a massive issue

@milly74

GPs are not seeing patients, fact

I see mine quite regularly, fact.

Why's it always only the army, what about the RAF? They always seem to get off lightly. Fly in, fly out and home in time for bacon and eggs! Glory boys, all of 'em

Yup, we can barely staff our hospitals safely without opening additional areas.

The FT army medic/nurse trained numbers are relatively low. Much of the army's medical capacity is made of reservists who work full time in the NHS.

Managing critically ill patients with covid is a technical job, lots of machines, equipment. Very complex care. Patients who 'just' have covid and dont require multi organ support are often people with a myriad of other health problems. You cant just follow a recipe for treating the covid in isolation.

Some Nightengales have been repurposed e.g as vaccination centres or diagnostic hubs. Some have reverted to their original uses or been dismantled. Pray to god we don't need to use them because that will be field medicine, not health care.

They would be better off throwing extra funding to open up GP surgeries on weekends so sort out the backlog of work and vaccinations etc. I know our doctors are working round the clock and seeing patients face to face but they can’t keep up. This could free up A & E ease the pressure. Assuming there’s enough GPs willing to do it. 😕😞

There was no plan last year. They were one very expensive PR exercise.

You're incredibly ill informed to think that people can quickly be trained up to treat covid. Respiratory viruses affect every part of your body. Even if your organs are not damaged, lying in a bed for weeks will take every bit of strength you had. They might not need to treat a broken leg, but they will need to know how to help people learn to walk again.

@Intheopinionofourexpert

Army! That's what the plan was last year. I know they won't all have much medical knowledge but if they are only treating COVID surely it's not going to take a 7 year medical degree to learn the ins and outs of every possible condition

I think you dont understand the complexities of caring for sick patients, particularly those who are intubated and ventilated.

No, I don't. So I am grateful for the responses that are helping me understand why they aren't utilising the nightingales because it was driving me mad

I appreciate that oxygen therapy isn’t necessarily simple/without risks @Sprostongreen21 but I do think it’s an avenue that hasn’t been seriously considered. We treat COPD patients with oxygen at home don’t we? And I believe Germany have a set up to treat people at home beyond what we do.

If hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed I think it’s sensible to look at what can be moved outside of the building. I suspect that it’s investment in equipment/community support that is the biggest barrier over the practicalities of introducing a programme including stepping up the levels of treatment possible at home.

Army! That's what the plan was last year. I know they won't all have much medical knowledge but if they are only treating COVID surely it's not going to take a 7 year medical degree to learn the ins and outs of every possible condition

I think you are right, do not listen to the naysayers. It has been widely reported throughout the pandemic that those worse affected by covid very rarely have other medical conditions.

The government, this government would not have spent a lot of money on a load of white elephants in the middle of the pandemic for a photo opportunity. The Prime Minister is renowned for his hard work are concern for everyone's wellbeing.

Now why on earth did I bother to gain a nursing degree if all I had to do was 'just' look after people recovering from covid?
Those people who by definition are often multi-medicated, have extensive past medical histories, frail and need nursing plans, assistance with personal care and manual handling risk assessments
And of course it's such a joy working on already short wards, regularly 10 patients to care for?
Ugh.

Nightingales were never/hardly used. No staff.
It's a lot of training for an icu nurse. Some one in out patients can not work on icu unless they had previous icu experience.
The hospital were dismantled and equipment was sent either to other hospitals or sent abroad im led to believe. Our hospital got new bedside lockers and patient tables.
Oh and hot chocolate courtesy of sir Tom 🙄
A colleague of mine applied to work in the nightingale hospital. He was told London. But he had to source his own accommodation and travel expenses, being paid on northern wages so wasn't feasible.

There are some seriously uninformed people on this thread. Cases of covid which require hospitalisation need specialists & ICU-trained people to care for them. Many medically trained people who were redeployed on covid wards were working under the supervision of specialists, to ensure that the most appropriate care/treatment was given.

The idea that "the army" would be equipped with the skills to do this is both laughable and terrifying.

[quote Helpstopthepain]@milly74 the nhs hasn’t abandoned anyone. It’s broken. Staff are broken. The system is broken.[/quote]
every winter the NHS complains of being broken we cant keep shutting down the country
we will not comply any more, the tide is turning and rightly people are getting angry

@Mummamama - it was a sham. There were no staff. And the buildings are now being used as they were before. Also saying the Army could just treat COVID is for the birds.

@WomanStanleyWoman

Maybe I’m missing something, but weren’t a lot of the Nightingale hospitals converted exhibition centres or similar? Won’t they be in use for their original purposes now?

Ours has definitely reverted to normal use. I was at a show there last month.

It was a publicity stunt last time (or a shit idea, take your pick). Anyone with half a brain could see they were (a) not needed and (b) white elephants with not the staff or equipment to be filled with.

@Howshouldibehave

‘The army’ seem to be used as the solution for everything. I think they are probably busy doing their normal jobs. They can’t staff hospitals when they are not doctors or nurses.

No they've got loads of doctors/nurses/health care assistants just sitting round. They probably do loads of knitting.

@jgw1

Army! That's what the plan was last year. I know they won't all have much medical knowledge but if they are only treating COVID surely it's not going to take a 7 year medical degree to learn the ins and outs of every possible condition

I think you are right, do not listen to the naysayers. It has been widely reported throughout the pandemic that those worse affected by covid very rarely have other medical conditions.

The government, this government would not have spent a lot of money on a load of white elephants in the middle of the pandemic for a photo opportunity. The Prime Minister is renowned for his hard work are concern for everyone's wellbeing.

@milly74

GPs are not seeing patients, fact

Most certainly not a fact.

The Army would 'only' be treating covid patients, eh?

Expect you to be first in line to volunteer to help provide medical care in one of the tents, OP.

FFS

We don't have the necessary people to staff them and provide medical care. This numpty government never got that far in the thought process.

@devildeepbluesea

It was a publicity stunt last time (or a shit idea, take your pick). Anyone with half a brain could see they were (a) not needed and (b) white elephants with not the staff or equipment to be filled with.

I think it was just a PR thing. The Chinese actually built hospitals in a matter of days so we had to do the same except what we did with most of them (one or two were actually built I think but opened later) was we kitted out a building that was already there and said, "We've built all these Nightingale hospitals."

@milly74

GPs are not seeing patients, fact

I saw mine yesterday, my son has seen his three times since September

milly I work in a GP surgery. Our clinics are bursting at the seams with face to face appointments. Hsve been seeing people all the way through this pandemic, even those with suspected Covid in our paper masks. Your particular GP may not be as you like it, but GP's are actually now seeing more people week on week than before the pandemic. Those that are left anyway. We lost three senior staff with over 100 years experience between them to early retirement last month.
So don't spout shite.

every winter the NHS complains of being broken we cant keep shutting down the country
we will not comply any more, the tide is turning and rightly people are getting angry

Indeed what we should keep doing is increasing the underfunding of the NHS and social care. That will show them.

I think in reality the Nightingale Hospitals were going to be used as holding areas for the dead and dying in a worst case scenario situation. I cant see how they were ever going to be used as actual hospitals with the intention of treating/curing people.