It has been decided by The Board of Barts Health NHS Trust that they will host the new NHS Nightingale hospital in London.
The decision was made by the board of Barts Health after a request to host the new NHS Nightingale hospital came from NHS London.
Hosting essentially means that the trust will take on ‘formal legal responsibility for the operation and governance’ of the new hospital.
NHS Nightingale is due to open this week to care specifically for patients suffering from COVID-19.
The new hospital has the potential capacity for thousands of beds in anticipation of the peak of the outbreak.
Barts Health Trust state that:
“NHS England/Improvement does not have the legal powers to manage a hospital directly, and there is insufficient time to create a new independent legal entity, so the new facility needs to sit within an existing NHS provider.”
Group Chief Executive of Barts Health Trust, Alwen Williams will be the Accountable Officer for the new hospital’s services.
Professor Charles Knight, Chief Executive of Barts is to lead the management team.
Alwen Williams said:
“I am hugely grateful to Charles for taking on this role, and want to thank all our staff who are responding magnificently to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.”
Ian Peters, Chair of Barts Health, said:
“we are facing a profound crisis requiring bold and unproven solutions.”
“It is an honour to be asked to embrace the NHS Nightingale at a time of national emergency.”
“We willingly accept the challenge and will finalise arrangements in the next few days.”
