WATCH: Jersey 'Nightingale' hospital to be built at Millbrook

Thursday 09 April 2020

A £14.4m NHS Nightingale-style field hospital is to be built at Millbrook playing field to provide 180 beds for covid-19 patients.

Officials said construction on the hospital will begin next week, with the whole facility operational in the first week of May.

The facility will be 150m by 30m, with six wards, each with 30 beds.

It will also include areas for patient admissions and discharge, staff changing and rest facilities and a morgue.

Video: The Chief Minister announcing the news.

The Chief Minister, Senator John Le Fondré, said: “We expect the number of cases to grow slowly over time and then to escalate, and the Jersey Nightingale Hospital will provide the extra in-patient care capacity we will need as our curve gets steeper and the number of Islanders needing medical support in hospital increases."

He concluded: “Health and Community Services are recruiting and upskilling staff in preparation for the increase in demand and this field hospital is the other vital element. It is a significant investment, but it is necessary if we are to cope with the extra demand.

"We cannot allow Islanders to die because we wouldn’t spend the money that would save their lives.”

Construction will be conducted by J3, part of the McAlpine Group, which helped with the construction of Nightingale hospitals in Manchester and Glasgow. 

Pictured: The site of the new field hospital.

The Nightingale Hospital Project Team includes representatives from the Health Department, Growth, Housing and Environment (GHE), the construction industry, and the military, who will help with the hospital construction.

Jersey health bosses are also coordinating with the UK’s National Clinical Lead on how the facility will be used once it is set up.

Site preparation is beginning today, and aluminium frame and semi-rigid panels are being shipped to Jersey. They are expected to arrive this weekend.

Fort Regent and hotels were considered as sites for the new hospital, but later rejected as they would not allow for as efficient a layout as desired.

People's Park, Lower Victoria Park, Les Jardins Car Park and FB Playing Fields were rejected due issues with accessing drainage and electricity, while problems were also identified with their accessibility.

Pictured: Fort Regent and hotels were considered and rejected.

The Chief Minister added: "Although we continue to pull out all the stops, we do need Islanders to play their part. We can all make a difference by complying with the Government’s instructions and staying at home.

"The need to establish this new hospital underlines the serious nature of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it shows how seriously it is being responded to, and I hope that Islanders are reassured by the swiftness of this action."

Following the news of the site's selection, St. Lawrence Deputy Kirsten Morel, whose constituency includes the field, tweeted that he has asked the Chief Minister and Health Minister for reassurances about the safety of those living next to the field hospital.

On behalf of residents of Millbrook, I've asked the CM and Health Min. for reassurances about their safety living next to the field hospital at Millbrook. I'll relay the responses as soon as I have them.

— Kirsten Morel (@KirstenJersey) April 9, 2020

"I'll relay the responses as soon as I have them," he pledged.

The latest statistics show that 183 islanders are officially confirmed to have the illness, and that three have died. 70 test results remain outstanding.

Statistics Jersey published an update on the latest modelling today, which showed that the island's Health service was still within its capacity to deal with covid-19 locally.

We have released our second weekly update on the latest statistical modelling of COVID-19 tests and confirmed cases. The report, by @JsyStats, shows the development of estimated overall new coronavirus cases in Jersey since the first case. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/kd8cfVakL5

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) April 9, 2020

Pictured top: The NHS Nightingale hospital set up at the Excel Centre in London.