The eight temporary sites will each have capacity for around 100 patients, with building work starting this week. Unlike earlier “Nightingale” hospital units, they will be added to existing hospitals with plans to identify sites for a further 4,000 beds if needed.
The NHS is often required to deploy extra beds in the winter months but the UK has seen a record number of new Covid cases this week, with 183,000 daily cases reported on Wednesday.
The hubs will be located at the Royal Preston hospital in Lancashire, St James’ University Hospital in Leeds, Lister Hospital in Stevenage, St George’s Hospital in London, The William Harvey Hospital in Kent, North Bristol Hospital, Solihull Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham, and University Hospitals Leicester.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he hoped the new hubs “will not have to be used” but that it was right to prepare for all scenarios.
Trusts have been tasked with identifying other places, such as gyms and education centres, which could be converted to accommodate up to 4,000 patients if required.
Comment - Hugh Pym
This is not a revival of the Nightingale hospitals set up at the height of the pandemic in the spring of 2020. Then large venues such as conference centres were pressed into service for an anticipated surge in seriously ill Covid patients. But they were little used as major hospitals preferred to hold on to staff to deal with Covid pressures rather than lend them to the Nightingales.
This time temporary structures will be set up in the grounds of hospitals so staff, equipment and emergency departments are close at hand. Only those patients who are close to being discharged and need minimal support will be cared for at these facilities. Creating extra surge capacity is a familiar policy in winter months. But this is on a much bigger scale.
NHS England says its precautionary and the newly created structures may not be needed. But the fact they are doing it suggests that while Omicron may not make people as seriously ill as Delta the NHS is braced for significant numbers in a potentially major new wave of Covid admissions.
That seems like a sensible precaution, let’s hope they’re not needed.
Yeah right 
The Hubs sound a waste of time to me, there isn’t enough staff to cover the hospitals as it is.
I understand many hospitals contain patients who are fit to go home but don’t have home cover so continue to take up a hospital bed. Rather than hubs it would seem sensible to be to take over small empty hotels where these recovered people can be supervised in groups by none nursing staff making more valuable hospital beds available .
One thing I don’t understand, when I was growing up and before, there were dedicated ‘fever or isolation hospitals’ where those with infectious illnesses like diphtheria/polio/TB were treated well away from the local hospitals. Why didn’t some hospitals become dedicated Covid isolation hospitals at the start of the pandemic it would certainly have cut down on in hospital transmission.
Years ago they also had ‘convalescent homes’ where those recovering could be accommodated under supervisor .
Those in power these days seem to lack common sense and the ability to look for solutions.
I agree, Meg. They have been saying repeatedly on the news about how many thousands of hospital workers are either off with Covid, or else isolating. So where are all the extra staff suddenly springing from to run these covid centres now?
There was also a doctor talking on the news a couple of days ago, saying many patients are well enough to go home, but the staff weren’t there to see to the admin side of sending them home, so they had to keep them in hospital taking up much needed beds, just because they couldn’t get organised to send them home.
Very good point. The ones I’m aware of, unfortunately, have since been pulled down. I’m sure there must still be some in existence that could be re-purposed though.
@JBR , Yeah, and we had lots of mental hospitals too !
Now the loonies are roaming the streets !!
Donkeyman! 
Yes, very true. They call it ‘care in the community’ now.
I’m sure that’s OK for most, although lots of social workers are needed to keep an eye on them.
The real problem, thankfully in a small minority of cases, is that there is a real risk of the worst of them committing serious crimes against innocent people.
United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust said it was taking “additional steps to maintain services” at all its hospitals in Lincoln, Boston and Grantham.
The trust’s medical director, Dr Colin Farquharson, said there were “significant staffing pressures due to absence related to Covid-19”.
But he said essential services “remain fully open”.
Last month, visiting restrictions were brought in at Lincoln County, Grantham and District, Pilgrim Hospital Boston and County Hospital Louth to slow the spread of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus.
No mention of surge hub at this trust, though … 