CONSTRUCTION work at the temporary NHS Louisa Jordan hospital at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow has been completed, the Scottish Government has announced.
From 20 April, the hospital will be equipped and clinically ready to treat patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The facility will have capacity for an initial 300 patients with this being able to be expanded to allow for more than 1,000 beds. The government said that it expects the construction works to cost £43 million.
Health secretary Jeane Freeman said, “I want to offer my sincere gratitude and thanks to the contractors and NHS Scotland staff who have come from across Scotland to work tirelessly to transform the SEC into the NHS Louisa Jordan. You are an inspiration to us all.
“The decision on patients being accepted at the NHS Louisa Jordan will be reviewed on a regular basis. I hope this facility will not be needed as, alongside the public’s continued efforts to stay at home, NHS Scotland has already taken steps to increase the number of NHS beds.
“The exceptional efforts of everyone involved in creating NHS Louisa Jordan during this unprecedented public health emergency will ensure this national facility will be able to treat patients from across Scotland, helping to save lives and protect our NHS.”
Chief Executive of NHS Louisa Jordan Jill Young added, “Building the NHS Louisa Jordan has been an incredible effort. It has been a privilege to lead the project and I want to thank all those who have come from across the country to help us establish this national facility.
“The hospital stands ready to treat patients from across Scotland in a safe, effective and compassionate way, if required.”
Balfour Beatty, Robertson, Kier and Graham Construction were the main contractors on the project. Upon completion, NHS staff applauded the teams for their work on the site. A Robertson spokesperson said that they were ‘proud’ and ‘humbled’ by this.
Robertson also had an applause over the video call site, Zoom, for the NHS and all those who worked on to complete the build of NHS Louisa Jordan. The video of this can be viewed here.
