Adapting NHS resources to respond to COVID-19

A successful pilot at the NHS Louisa Jordan has seen 315 patients receive orthopaedic and plastic surgery outpatient consultations since the start of July.

Built at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow at the beginning of the outbreak, the hospital has not been required to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) patients due to continued suppression of the virus.

Following the successful three-week project by NHS Lanarkshire, plans are now in place to expand the services offered at the hospital and increase the number of patients it can receive daily from health boards across Scotland.

New services to be offered include key diagnostics such as X-rays, CT scanning and ultrasounds, as well as speciality dermatology appointments.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“We always hoped that the NHS Louisa Jordan would never be needed for the COVID response and thanks to the continued collective efforts of people across Scotland to suppress the virus, that has been the case.

“When it comes to tackling this virus, we have all had to be flexible and adapt to the ‘new normal’ and that includes our health service. Although the NHS Louisa Jordan has not been required to treat COVID-19 patients, it remains a vital asset in our phased approach to resuming NHS services safely where we can.

“It is providing capacity to reduce waiting lists and improve outcomes for patients across Scotland. I am pleased that while it stands ready to treat patients with the virus at just a few days’ notice, the NHS Louisa Jordan is making a valuable contribution to our health service now, even while the virus remains under control.”

Chief Executive of NHS Louisa Jordan Jill Young said:

“As a national resource for the NHS in Scotland, we are proud to be playing our part in ensuring that more patients are receiving the safe, effective and person-centred care, they need during the current situation.

“NHS Louisa Jordan was created through teamwork with a spirit of collaboration which has been shown across NHSScotland during these challenging times. We look forward to working with NHS Boards across Scotland to help deliver key outpatient and diagnostic services for patients.”

Background

Established to help ensure NHS Scotland had extra capacity to treat patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, the NHS Louisa Jordan has stood ready to accept patients since 20 April 2020.

The hospital was named after Glasgow-born First World War nurse Sister Louisa Jordan who died on active service in Serbia in 1915 as part of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals for Foreign Services.

1036 bed bays were built at the hospital, with capacity to treat an initial 300 patients. The estimated set up costs for NHS Louisa Jordan is approximately £31 million, with operational and decommissioning costs yet to be determined.

More information on NHS Louisa Jordan is available online.