Published date: 10 June 2020
Repurposing vacant space to create additional bed capacity for COVID-19 treatment and step down care
Biggleswade Community Hospital, Bedfordshire
Background
Site: NHSPS owned community hospital
Customers: NHS Bedfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), Beds, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System, East London NHS Foundation Trust
Partners: Ministry of Defence
NHSPS representatives: Paul Cross, Regional Partnership Director (East), Jo Tuck, Facilities Services Manager, Donna Brydon, Senior Property Manager
The challenge
Although the majority of COVID-19 related patient treatment is handled in acute hospitals, there is some need for the primary care estate (e.g. GP surgeries and community hospitals) to find and repurpose space for this too.
In mid-March 2020, NHSPS started to prepare two vacant wards of 27 beds in Biggleswade Community Hospital for re-use for COVID-19 additional capacity should the need arise.
The solution
The NHSPS team identified vacant space at Biggleswade Community hospital (Whitbread and Lindsell Wards), which could be recommissioned on a short timeline to provide additional bed capacity.
Working with our Facilities Management teams, we deep cleaned the wards, installed curtains and laid out existing furniture. We checked the water flow was running safely, and installed temporary new heating for one of the wards.
The impact
In the space of ten days we have recommissioned space for 27 additional beds, handing them over to the CCG who will now identify a provider for this patient care.
In addition, we have provided support to ELFT and the army who have set up a temporary COVID-19 testing facility on the Hospital site.
Expanding NHS capacity during COVID-19
We recommissioned and reconfigured space across our estate during COVID-19 to provide additional capacity for treatment and testing, delivering space for over 1,000 beds.
