NHS Nightingale hospitals: COVID-19

In the fight against the coronavirus pandemic we saw the construction industry unite like never before. As the NHS faced a hospital bed shortage, new facilities were urgently needed to make sure every COVID-19 patient could be cared for if the cases continued to rise.

Our solution

The ability to mobilise at speed has been crucial in these projects. The day after receiving the call we were on site at Manchester Nightingale for a de-brief. By day two—in a team made up of the Army, the NHS, the contractor and consultants—we were visiting sites across Lancashire to assess the most suitable to convert. Later on that same day we were called about the second site – already identified in North Wales.

Both sites were existing leisure centre facilities—requiring conversion of the main sports hall at both plus a defrosted ice rink and skate park for the North Wales surge hospital. Our team provided technical building services advice and design as well as specialist medical gas design and Authorised Person (AP) across both sites. The conversion required navigating a number of complex challenges—with changes happening by the hour. Co-located on site, we were able to work together with the full delivery team to provide the design solution within that same hour. A collaborative approach and knowledge sharing across the industry was crucial to fast track the schemes.

Partway through the conversion in North Wales, due to our deep expertise in medical gas systems we were asked to design and act as the medical gas Authorised Person (AP) at a third hospital in Bangor.

Result

Both sites were successfully converted within the allocated timescale (two weeks for Preston and three for Deeside), providing 553 beds to house COVID-19 patients and ease the pressure on the NHS hospitals.