From the 4th June, the NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber will begin offering clinical CT scans to some patients in the region as well as provide outpatient appointments for patients with radiology referrals.
Both the Leeds Teaching Hospital and Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trusts will be the first to use the facility and provide appointments seven days per week.
The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber was initially set up as part of the Covid-19 response.
Since its inception, the hospital has been on standby.
The hospital is equipped with clinical imaging equipment and so is able to support the region in the Covid recovery phase.
The hospital is equipped to provide a service for patients who are well and mobile, also known as ambulatory patients.
The service is a combination of diagnostic and surveillance scans.
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.”
To date, the hospital has not had to care for patients with Covid-19 and this service will be the first time the hospital has been used to provide patient care.
