Staff slam empty London Nightingale hospital as a ‘complete waste of money’ as patients drop to a ‘ludicrously low’ 26

  • A source at the 3,600-bed flagship facility told The Mail on Sunday the ‘ludicrously low’ number of Covid19 victims had shattered morale 
  • It has been claimed the Nightingale hospital was ‘a complete waste of money and resources’ with staff reluctant to work there
  • More than 50 patients are believed to have been turned away since the hospital opened two weeks ago – 30 of them due to a lack of staff

By MARK NICOL FOR THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

The number of patients being treated at the NHS‘s new showcase Nightingale Hospital fell to just 26 last week after managers failed to tackle a chronic nursing shortage. 

A source at the 3,600-bed flagship facility told The Mail on Sunday the ‘ludicrously low’ number of Covid19 victims had shattered morale among medical staff and claimed the Nightingale was ‘a complete waste of money and resources’. 

The 26 patients are being looked after on a single ward by up to 180 medical practitioners and welfare staff, many of whom are being accommodated at hotels near the hospital in London‘s Docklands. Military personnel work inside the ExCel centre in London on March 31, 2020, which has been transformed into a field hospital but remains empty despite its high capacity

Military personnel work inside the ExCel centre in London on March 31, 2020, which has been transformed into a field hospital but remains empty despite its high capacity

Some clinical care nurses failed to turn up for their shifts last week, meaning that additional critically ill patients could not transfer there from other London hospitals. 

More than 50 patients are believed to have been turned away since the hospital opened two weeks ago – 30 of them due to a lack of staff. 

The number of patients under the care of Nightingale staff peaked at just 41 around ten days ago. That figure had fallen to 26 by Friday, according to a well-placed source. 

All were being cared for on the only ward in use at the hospital, called Bedford B. Medical staff have also fallen out with managers over the discharge of the Nightingale’s first patient. 

Carers were told to line the road outside the Excel Centre and clap as an ambulance carrying the patient drove away. 

more… https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8257371/Number-patients-London-Nightingale-hospital-dropped-just-26.html

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