Covid: New £8m Hull Royal Infirmary unit has pandemic isolation beds

It is hoped the new intensive care facility will be open in August, said the NHS

A new £8m intensive care unit at Hull Royal Infirmary is to feature isolation facilities to help deal with a further wave of Covid-19 or another pandemic.

A new three-storey building is being built at the East Yorkshire hospital.

Its 24 beds would provide some of the best critical care facilities in England, said Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Chris Long, the trust's chief executive, said it would be "a very welcome addition".

Mr Long said the new unit would put the hospital in "the best possible position to deal with any future waves of the virus or, indeed, any other pandemic in the future".

Its cubicles are to be fitted with air extraction systems to assist infection prevention and control.

The new unit is designed to be energy efficient, with its own heat pumps, air conditioning, chillers and heat recovery systems, the trust said.

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The top floor could also include two new operating theatres but is subject to planning approval, the trust said.

Work on the unit being built close to the hospital's existing Emergency Department started in January and critical care teams are expected to be in the building in August, according to the trust.

A separate extension is also being built for staff accommodation and other services.