London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Mar 06, 2026

Five ways hospitals will change to tackle virus

Hospital beds in hotel rooms and ventilators made at car factories are among coronavirus plans for the NHS.

1. Hotel room or hospital ward?

The health secretary said empty hotels across the country would help ease the pressure on hospitals that are filling up with patients.

"Some people are saying: 'Should you build a hospital?'" Mr Hancock told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

"Actually, we've seen that many hotels are empty so we've got ready-built facilities for looking after people."

Asked about whether military field hospitals might also be used to spread the load, Mr Hancock said: "I'm open to all options."

He said he was more concerned that enough staff members and equipment were available to cope with an influx in patients, rather than worrying about where those patients would go to receive care.

"The critical thing is that [the hotels] need oxygen supply and the ventilation equipment - whether it's the invasive ventilation or just the mask on your face.

"So what matters is not just the space, it's making sure that the equipment and the trained staff are there as well."

Hotel chain Best Western said it was considering turning some of its properties into temporary hospitals to help the NHS.

Chief executive Rob Paterson said Best Western would discuss the idea this week and "would be willing to take unprecedented steps to support the national effort".

The chain reported an increase in cancellations over the last month as a result of the pandemic.


2. NHS or private hospital?


The Labour Party and the GMB union have called on the government to use empty beds in "plush private hospitals" to ease the pressure on the NHS.

Downing Street confirmed on Sunday that the health service would buy up thousands of beds in private hospitals if they were needed to cope with a surge in patient numbers.

The government said "negotiations" with private healthcare providers have already begun.

But the GMB union is calling for these beds to be given to the NHS for free.

"This is a public health emergency, not a business opportunity for shoddy private healthcare chums to profiteer from distress," said GMB's Rehana Azam.


3. Ventilators made at car factories


How will thousands of new ventilators - machines needed to help patients breathe - be made quickly enough to cope with an increase in demand?

Mr Hancock said there were 5,000 ventilators available in the UK at the moment but that many times that number would be needed as the number of people with Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, increased.

Asked if the likes of military engineers and car manufacturers would be asked to meet the demand, the health secretary said: "Yes, we're talking to all those companies."

"We've got high quality engineering in this country. And we want anybody who has the manufacturing capability to turn to the manufacture of ventilators to do that," he added.

The speedy manufacturing might not stop once the UK has enough ventilators either, with Mr Hancock suggesting the equipment could be sent abroad to help other countries in need.

Digger manufacturing company JCB confirmed Prime Minister Boris Johnson had asked if they could help to make ventilators.

Chairman Lord Bamford said the British company - which cut production and working hours in February as coronavirus led to a shortage of components - would do "whatever we can to help during the unprecedented times our country is facing".


4. Operating theatres converted into wards

The cancellation of swathes of non-urgent - or "elective" - surgery will help to free up space, Mr Hancock said.

He said the sorts of operations that could be delayed "in this emergency" situation included hip and knee operations.

Operating theatres where these procedures are normally carried out are equipped with oxygen supplies, meaning they "can be turned into wards" for coronavirus patients.

This measure is "one of the first things that we're going to do", he added.


5. New (and old) staff

All those extra ventilators will throw up another problem - there are not enough trained nurses and doctors to operate them.

To fix this, Mr Hancock said the government wanted to bring recently-retired doctors "back into service".

But, the health secretary said, some of those workers would need to be trained up to deal with the specific needs of Covid-19 - which is a respiratory disease,

"We will be stopping some other activity, and asking doctors who normally do other things to retrain to be able to, for instance, use the ventilators."

He would not say how long it might take to train people up but did say: "We will do it as fast as we can."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Starmer Defends UK Role in Iran Conflict After Renewed Criticism from President Trump
Blue Owl Reveals £36 Million Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender Serving Wealthy Clients
UK Asylum Reform Plan Triggers Fierce Debate Over Border Control and Humanitarian Impact
US Stealth Bombers Head to UK Base as Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran
UK Deputy Prime Minister Says Legal Case Could Exist for British Strikes on Iranian Missile Sites
Investigators Link Mysterious Parcel Fires Across Europe to Russian Intelligence Operation
Debate Intensifies Over Britain’s Legal Justification for US Military Operations Launched From UK Bases
Britain Faces Heightened Energy Price Risks as Iran-Linked Tensions Threaten Global Oil and Gas Supplies
British Counter-Terror Police Arrest Four Suspected of Spying on Jewish Community for Iran
Axel Springer Agrees $770 Million Deal to Acquire Britain’s Daily Telegraph
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
×