Nightingale Hospital has turned away more patients than it has treated

[Mottie]

But the expected doubling every three days in the number of patients needing to be admitted to ICU didn’t happen. London hospitals doubled, tripled and in some cases quadrupled the capacity of their ICUs, so still have spare capacity, which means the Nightingale hasn’t been needed.

That’s true. My wife tells me that Darenth Valley hospital had two spare beds in ICU yesterday. I was watching a cancer expert on TV just now and he said that because all surgeries and operations have been stopped (apart from the most severe cases), cancer will be at risk as their problems are growing inside them. All my wife’s gastroenterology surgeries have been cancelled and she says they find on average, 5 serious tumours per week. One option the cancer expert suggested this morning was to move the covid patients into the Nightingale hospitals to open up the hospitals to general surgeries and operations again.

 

[JohnD]

Do you think the Nightingales have a supply of ITU staff?

 

[Mottie]

Do you think the Nightingales have a supply of ITU staff?

Not at present but if ITU patients are moved from general hospitals, there will be ITU staff going spare. They can send them there, can’t they?

 

[JohnD]

So if they send the staff from another hospital, there is not a net increase in capacity.

 

[Mottie]

So if they send the staff from another hospital, there is not a net increase in capacity.

Doesn’t matter - sick people get treated and that’s what matters. For a minute I thought you were concerned for Coronavirus patients. Now I know it was just pick, pick, pick, dig, dig, dig at the government. Nothing new from you there then. Carry on posting to yourself, nobody’s really interested in your whining.

 

[Notch7]

My point exactly. Doubtless some fools will now say we shouldn't have built them.

we didnt, the buildings already esixted

anyway the excel nightingale was a used as a bit of government spin -notice how they conveniently said it was built in 9 days -rather coincidental that is the same time frame announced for the Chinese hospital -pure Cummings propaganda.

aside from that, it was a great effort to get it ready in the timeframe, and very important -they should keep it to catch up with all the non CV patients

 

[Notch7]

Doesn’t matter - sick people get treated and that’s what matters. For a minute I thought you were concerned for Coronavirus patients. Now I know it was just pick, pick, pick, dig, dig, dig at the government. Nothing new from you there then. Carry on posting to yourself, nobody’s really interested in your whining.

interesting how pointing out government failure is called 'whining' by manipulated johnson voters.

 

[Lower]

So if they send the staff from another hospital, there is not a net increase in capacity.

I thought they recruited a load of staff that no longer worked in the NHS. ie the recently retired and those that had left to work in the private sector or left the industry altogether.

 

[SirGalahad]

Not at present but if ITU patients are moved from general hospitals, there will be ITU staff going spare. They can send them there, can’t they?

You are not supposed to move ITU patients for no reason they are the most vulnerable. The Nightingale was set up for overflow of Covd patients or for step down - not for the most serious. They simply don't have enough staff.

They would have been better off using the private hospitals for overflow who actually do have some staff.

One ITU patient is not the same as another.

 

[fillyboy]

The Nightingale was set up for overflow of Covd patients or for step down

By jove I think she's got it.

 

[SirGalahad]

I thought they recruited a load of staff that no longer worked in the NHS. ie the recently retired and those that had left to work in the private sector or left the industry altogether.

Were they all ITU specialists?

The staffing plan was to use audioligsts and technicians to plug these holes.

 

[fillyboy]

They would have been better off using the private hospitals for overflow who actually do have some staff.

Had they done that you would simply moan that there were no 'new' facilities.

 

[SirGalahad]

By jove I think she's got it.

Doris you fail to forget they didbt have enough staff for even that.

 

[SirGalahad]

Had they done that you would simply moan that there were no 'new' facilities.

Incorrect - the first thing medics mentioned was use the Private Hospital networks. They have the facilties already.

 

[ajohn]

anyway the excel nightingale was a used as a bit of government spin -notice how they conveniently said it was built in 9 days -rather coincidental that is the same time frame announced for the Chinese hospital -pure Cummings propaganda.

Actually they have decided to create more of them. My thoughts were that they would be used to free up normal hospitals but then solid reports that they are intended for palliative care and recovery. An ICU usually contains far more gear than a ventilator but at least they are kitted out with oxygen so cpap and ventilators could be used. I studied photo's of the B'ham one carefully - looks to be 2 piped sources of something.

There are big holes in using them to free up hospitals other than staffing while CV19 is being caught by the general population. Keeping it out of them. It has been getting where it shouldn't be already.

Palliative care might be miss reporting and may really mean use them for appropriate people. That might free up wards converted to ICU's back to there original purpose.

Another wait and see.