Manchester Central has been home to many things from a Baking Show to Bongo’s Bingo but probably the last thing you thought it would be is a hospital.
Well, it is massive, the 190,000 square foot Convention Centre is set to be home to 1,000 beds specifically for Coronavirus patients.
The announcement follows the setting up of NHS Nightingale Hospitals across the country as a part of the NHS’s response to COVID-19.
Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: “As the owners of Manchester Central Convention Complex, we have worked with the Ministry of Defence and health services to make the building urgently available for this vital use.
NHS Nightingale London
The need to establish this new hospital underlines the serious nature of the Covid-19 pandemic we all face but also shows how seriously it is being responded to and I hope the public are reassured by the swiftness of this action.”
The temporary hospital is due to cater for medium-level cases and help add capacity to the system in general. The hospital should be open by the end of April.
NHS Nightingale London
The announcement also sees Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre confirmed as the website of a new temporary hospital alongside Manchester Central.
The Ministry of Defence has already begun converting Londons Excel Centre that will eventually have 4,000 beds in 2 separate wards.
