Bristol's Nightingale hospital cost more than £26m

Prince Edward opened the hospital via video link as the team behind its construction observed social distancing guidelines

The Nightingale hospital in Bristol cost the NHS more than £26m but has never treated a coronavirus patient.

It was set up in less than three weeks in April 2020 to provide up to 300 intensive care beds at the University of the West of England's (UWE) Frenchay campus.

It was used for assessments and treatments of more than 7,000 non-Covid patients before it closed on 31 March.

Figures show it cost £15.6m to set up and about £1m a month to keep running.

While the hospital had capacity for 300 intensive care beds, it also had space to treat up to 1,000 people in total.

Other NHS staff and people who had supported the project applauded its opening in April 2020

Documents from the North Bristol NHS Trust showed it treated 7,284 Bristol Eye Hospital and Bristol Royal Hospital for Children patients, the Local Democracy Reporting Service found.

Prince Edward was joined by Health Secretary Matt Hancock and NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens to carry out the hospital's opening via video link on 27 April 2020.

"It is a somewhat curious experience to be asked to open a facility which we hope will never be required," Prince Edward said at the time.

Seven Nightingale hospitals were built in England, including the 4,000-bed facility at London's ExCel centre.

That treated 20 patients during the first wave of the pandemic.

It reopened in January and was used to treat non-coronavirus patients to free up beds for a surge in Covid-19 cases and other seriously ill people.