Royal Preston Hospital: Covid surge hub used for discharging patients

The hubs were set up at hospitals across England in preparation for a potential wave of Omicron admissions

A Covid surge hub is being used by patients who are ready to be discharged but have not yet secured the support that they will need at home.

NHS bosses have confirmed the temporary "Nightingale" facility at the Royal Preston Hospital is housing those who no longer need acute care.

The hub was one of eight units built to cope with a feared spike in Covid cases due to the Omircorn variant.

Last month it was confirmed it would be used for non-Covid patients.

Bosses at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have now revealed the patients admitted to the hub are those who are typically waiting for support packages to allow them to go back home or to another more appropriate care setting.

"This additional capacity is therefore helping the wider system to manage discharges more effectively," a trust spokesman said.

"[It] has also provided additional resilience to help de-escalate pressures, particularly in our emergency departments, at an exceptionally busy time."

He said the extra beds were also helping "free up room elsewhere", which meant they could focus on elective recovery and reduce long waits for patients.

The trust, however, was unable to confirm how many patients have so far passed through the 100-bed hub, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A recent meeting of Lancashire County Council's cabinet heard that homecare services had been placed under particular pressure in the wake of the pandemic.

This is because more people have opted to receive support under their own roof rather than go into a care setting.

Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [e-mail]