The NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber will begin offering clinical CT scans to some patients from across the region from 4 June, 2020.
The Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust will be the first trusts to use the facility and will provide appointments seven days a week.
NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber was set up as part of the region’s Covid-19 response. On stand-by since its launch, the hospital is equipped with clinical imaging equipment, which means it can also support the region in its recovery phase. From 4 June 2020, the hospital will provide outpatient appointments for patients with radiology referrals.
The temporary hospital is fully equipped and able to provide the service for patients who are well and mobile (known as ‘ambulatory patients’). The service will provide a combination of diagnostic scans and surveillance scans, which are used to monitor patients with a prior diagnosis of a medical condition.
Steve Russell, Chief Executive of NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: “A number of NHS services have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic as hospitals have had to prioritise the care of patients with the virus.
“The measures taken to introduce social distancing and manage hospital demand have meant that we’ve not yet needed to use the NHS Nightingale Hospital for its original intended purpose. We’ve therefore taken the decision to utilise the equipment and begin offering CT scans at the facility so that we can get patients seen quickly.”
As yet, the NHS Nightingale Hospital has not been needed to care for patients with Covid-19 and this will be the first time the hospital has been used to provide patient care.
Every patient who attends the facility will be screened before their appointment to check that they don’t have the symptoms of Covid-19 and appointments will only be offered to those who are neither isolating, nor shielding.
Patients with additional needs, such as those who require interpreting services or patient transport, will continue to be seen at their local hospital to guarantee their specific needs can be met.
ENDS