NHS Louisa Jordan: Temporary hospital construction complete

The construction of the NHS Louisa Jordan has now been completed, it has been confirmed.

Contractors have been working alongside clinicians and operational staff to establish the temporary hospital, which will be ready to take patients from Monday.

The facility has been built at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) in Glasgow to help deal with pressures arising from the Covid-19 outbreak.

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.”

Named after the great Scottish war nurse Louisa Jordan, the hospital will initially have 300 beds but has the capacity for around 1000.

Workers have installed 23,000 square metres of flooring and created 1036 bed bays.

Jill Young, chief executive of the NHS Louisa Jordan, said building the hospital “has been an incredible effort”.

She added: “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.”