Nightingale hospitals are still lying empty despite the rising coronavirus cases and fears over a new highly-infectious mutant strain. East London’s ExCeL centre – the first site opened by NHS England amid the crisis, is seen practically deserted in pictures taken today. The site would be the largest intensive care unit in Europe if fully operational, capable of providing up to 500 intensive care beds, reports have claimed. The venue is just one of England’s nightingale hospitals lying in wait to be fully utilised, along with a site in Manchester, open for ‘non-Covid’ care, and sites in Exeter and Harrogate open for ‘specialist diagnostics’.
Fighting the good fight