The future of the Nightingale 'surge hub' on the grounds of Southmead Hospital is unclear, as Covid-19 restrictions are set to be completely lifted in England.
A large white shell structure was built in the car park at the back of the Brunel building at the Bristol hospital site in January 2022, as a precautionary measure to deal with a potential influx of Covid patients. It was ready to be fitted out with beds and equipment in January, but now the NHS have said they don't know what will happen to it or whether it will be used. NHS England and North Bristol Trust, which runs the hospital, both confirmed that there is no update on its future at this time.
Eight ‘surge hubs’ were announced by health secretary Sajid Javid between Christmas and New Year, as the highly contagious Omicron variant created concern over a sharp rise in Covid-19 deaths. They were set to be manned by a mix of hospital consultants, nurses, and other clinical and non-clinical staff, and were designed to take patients who, although not fit for discharge, needed minimal support and monitoring while they recovered from illness.
