Yorkshire Nightingale hospital in Harrogate told to prepare for Covid patients

Yorkshire's special coronavirus Nightingale hospital in Harrogate has been told to prepare for an influx of patients.
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Professor Steve Powis, who is NHS England's medical director, says there will be regular testing for staff in high-risk areas, even when they don't have symptoms.

He announced Nightingale hospitals in parts of the North of England - Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate - are being asked to mobilise in the next few weeks.

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They are being asked to get ready to accept patients - whether that's Covid-19 patients or people recovering from the virus.

Yorkshire's Nightingale hospital in Harrogate has been asked to prepare for Covid patients. Stock photo of St James Hospital in Leeds.Yorkshire's Nightingale hospital in Harrogate has been asked to prepare for Covid patients. Stock photo of St James Hospital in Leeds.
Yorkshire's Nightingale hospital in Harrogate has been asked to prepare for Covid patients. Stock photo of St James Hospital in Leeds.

They could be asked to provide "elective and diagnostic services" for patients with conditions other than the virus, he says.

He says the UK is not alone in seeing a renewed growth in infection rates - drawing a comparison with the Netherlands and France.

He describes how hospitals in other countries are starting to see rising numbers of Covid patients - and says the UK is starting to see a similar change.

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We have more patients in hospital with Covid-19 than we did before the government announced restrictions in March, Prof Powis says.

He says hospital admission rates are also increasing among older people.

There are "steep rises" in the number of people aged over 65 and particularly over 85 being admitted to hospital, he adds.

What is happening with local lockdowns on Monday?Boris Johnson will make a speech on Monday outlining a new three-tier local lockdown system.

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Liverpool will be under Tier 3 restrictions which will mean pubs, bars, gyms, casinos and other adult gaming centres being shut.

Currently, the restrictions are yet to be announced for the rest of Yorkshire.

But given the high coronavirus infection rates across the region, it would not be a surprise to see the highest level of restrictions in Yorkshire.

Downing Street said the Government is working with local leaders to determine the areas to be covered by the very high alert level, and the measures needed in those places.

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Tier 2 is likely to retain the ban on household mixing and a curfew/limited pub and restaurant hours, but would not go as far as closing pubs entirely.

Treating the North with 'contempt'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused the Government of treating local communities and politicians, particularly in the North West, the North East and the Midlands, “with contempt”.

“It’s just not good enough, you have to take people with you on this, listen to what local leaders are saying,” he told LBC radio.

However Calum Semple, professor of outbreak medicine at the University of Liverpool and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said Liverpool was getting “hammered” by the virus and action was necessary.

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He said more than half of the beds in the main hospital in the city are already occupied by patients with the disease.

“Already staff are feeling overburdened, emotionally wiped out (and have) a lot of psychological stress because they’re having this horrible groundhog experience,” he told BBC Breakfast.

“And they’re looking outside and thinking we’re not even into winter yet.”