From today, Thursday,the Nightingale Hospital Exeter is caring for patients with COVID-19.

The 116 bed hospital was set up to improve the resilience of the South West by providing extra capacity to support existing NHS services across the region.

 Dr Rob Dyer, strategic mmedical director for the Nightingale Hospital Exeter, said: ‘Since the beginning of July, the Nightingale Hospital Exeter has provided nearly 3,000 diagnostic tests to local people and has hosted the delivery of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine study.  

‘These services have now stopped at the Nightingale facility to allow the hospital to care for patients with COVID-19.

‘Diagnostic tests will continue to be available to those who need them through existing services and the COVID-19 vaccine trial has relocated to the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust (RD&E).

‘The number of COVID-19 cases in some local Trusts now exceeds the first wave of the pandemic, but unlike in the first wave, our hospitals are seeing a high demand for urgent care from non-COVID patients.

‘This means that our hospitals continue to be very busy and we must balance providing care to patients with COVID-19 whilst also continuing to deliver services for our non-COVID patients.

‘Opening the Nightingale Hospital Exeter helps us continue providing care to the patients who need our services across the region.’

Darryn Allcorn, strategic chief nurse for the Nightingale Hospital Exeter, said: ‘The Nightingale is a truly collaborative approach and will be staffed by health and care staff from across the region. Work has been undertaken to ensure sufficient numbers of named staff can be released to safely open the Nightingale.

‘Cases of COVID-19 in the community remain high and we ask that the public continue to observe the Government’s advice on observing the lockdown and social distancing – including hands, face and space – so that we can keep our patients safe.’