London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

How the UK's newest hospital was built in nine days

How London's ExCel centre was transformed into a hospital to treat coronavirus patients.

East London's ExCeL exhibition centre, which normally plays host to lifestyle shows, expos and conferences, has been converted into the temporary NHS Nightingale hospital, with space for 4,000 beds.

In nine days, the 87,328 square metres of double exhibition halls, have been fitted out with the framework for more than 80 wards, each with 42 beds. Some 500 fully-equipped beds, with oxygen and ventilators, are already in place and there is space for another 3,500.

If it did reach capacity, it would be one of the largest hospitals in the world.




How was it built?

The facility, which was officially opened on Friday, was built with the help of up to 200 soldiers a day from the Royal Anglian Regiment and Royal Gurkha Rifles, working long shifts alongside NHS staff and contractors.

Architects and engineers from BDP, the firm that helped convert the centre, were part of the planning team given the task of creating the life-saving facility.

BDP Principal James Hepburn said the scale and timeframe for the construction were unlike previous healthcare projects and architects were coming up with designs almost as building needed to get under way.

The framework for individual bed bays were made from material usually used to make exhibition stands - because it is lightweight and could be constructed quickly.

Mr Hepburn said the three main challenges were:

  • Speed of the construction and what to build it out of
  • Having a reliable electrical supply - for life-saving ventilators and equipment
  • And being able to get medical gases to each of the beds

ExCeL's existing electrical infrastructure has been modified to ensure the power supply can cope with demand - and not cut out. Temporary generators and oxygen tanks, to supply the beds, have also been installed.

Mr Hepburn said his team has drawn up an instruction manual to share with other countries taking on similar emergency projects - and people in Australia and Canada have already contacted them.



Where will the staff come from?

The ExCeL centre's suitability for the hospital site goes beyond the functional characteristics of the building.

It is served by public transport links. The nearby London City Airport can be used to bring in supplies and equipment and there is also hotel and university accommodation close by - should it be needed.

It will be led by a team of eight senior staff, drawn from local hospitals and trusts. At capacity, the hospital will need 16,000 staff to keep it running. That will include thousands of doctors, nurses and volunteers.

"The numbers are scary," chief operating officer Natalie Forrest said. "To run one ward, including all of our ancillary staff, we need 200 members of staff."

The nursing staff is being drawn from other hospitals, as well as volunteers from St John Ambulance. Airline staff from Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic have also been approached.

Cabin crews have security clearance and many of them are also first aid-trained. The NHS says they would be changing beds, helping doctors and nurses on the wards, and performing other non-clinical tasks.

Image copyright Getty Images

It will not be a conventional walk-in hospital - only patients already on ventilators will be admitted, transferred from other intensive care units across London. They will stay at the hospital until their course of ventilation is finished.

Support services such as pharmacies and therapy treatment will also be available.

And a mortuary is also included in the NHS Nightingale design. Additional mortuary space is also being found elsewhere in the city, including Wanstead Flats in the Manor Park area of Newham, local residents have been told.

Other temporary morgues are also being set up around the UK, including at an ice rink in Milton Keynes, a crematorium in Ruislip, and at Birmingham Airport, where the hangar facility will initially have space for 1,500 bodies "but will expand to hold more".




Will there be other NHS Nightingales?

Preparations are also being made to expand the NHS Nightingale-style hospitals beyond London.

Conference centres in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Harrogate and the University of West England (UWE) in Bristol have been earmarked as emergency hospital sites to help ease the pressure on the NHS - some of which could open by the end of the month, albeit with fewer beds than London's.

Belfast City Hospital's tower block is being transformed into Northern Ireland's first Nightingale hospital - it will become a 230-bed unit staffed by a team drawn from across Northern Ireland.

An extra 6,000 beds are also being set up in Wales - many in sports and leisure facilities - to take the pressure off hospitals during the coronavirus pandemic.

Among them is the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, the national stadium of Wales, which will be used as a field hospital for up to 2,000 beds, if needed.







Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×