Coronavirus: First Nightingale hospital in England reopens in Manchester for Covid-19 patients - Daily Mail

The NHS Nightingale Hospital in Manchester will reopen in the next week as the city heads into a Tier Three lockdown and hospitals in neighbouring Liverpool are already treating more Covid-19 patients than in April.

It had closed in June when the first wave of the UK's outbreak burned out, but there are now fears that local hospitals will be inundated with Covid patients again.

There are fears that Manchester's hospitals could start to become overrun with Covid-19 patients after an explosion of infections in late September.

There are already warning signs it could happen as NHS England confirmed the biggest trust in Liverpool is already treating more coronavirus patients than it was during the first peak. .

There were 390 beds occupied by Covid-19 patients at Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust on the worst day of the Merseyside city's crisis on April 13, official figures show. .

The NHS said today there are currently 398 virus patients being treated at the trust's hospitals, which include the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital.

In an announcement this morning, Professor Jane Eddleston, the boss of the Manchester University NHS Trust, confirmed the Nightingale would reopen.

Professor Eddleston said there are around 95 people in intensive care beds with Covid-19 in the city, which is slightly more than a third of the 260 at the peak of the epidemic in April.

The move in Manchester comes as hospitals in nearby Liverpool are reported to already be treating more Covid-19 patients than they were in the spring's first wave, and there are fears the same could happen across the North West.

The medical director of the biggest NHS trust in the Merseyside city said beds occupied by Covid-19 patients had already surpassed levels in April and that they were 'continuing to rise'.

Dr Tristan Cope, of Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust, made the claim on Twitter today but did not offer any data to back it up.

There were 390 beds occupied by Covid-19 patients at the peak of the city's crisis on April 13, official figures show.  NHS England said today there were currently 398 virus patients being treated at the trust's hospitals, which include the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital.   .

However, the most recent published figures only go up to October 1, and on that date just 95 beds were occupied by Covid-19 patients.

David Mellen, leader of Nottingham City Council, said: 'We can confirm we have received a diary invite for an introductory meeting with a Government minister later this afternoon along with the leader of the county.

NHS figures that go up to October 11 show that, since the start of the month, there were 403 Covid-19 patients taken to Liverpool University Hospitals Trusts. That's more than triple the amount admitted in the 11 days prior, when there were just 133?

The most recent official figures only go up to October 1, and show 95 Covid-19 patients were in the trust's hospitals, which include the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Broadgreen Hospital.

NHS hospitals in Bradford have become the latest to start cancelling operations after seeing a spike in admissions of Covid-19 patients.

It runs both the Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's Hospital, as well as four other hospitals, serving a population of around half a million people. .

The trust said Covid-19 patients had reached levels seen in May, just after the peak of the first wave, and they had to take action to keep patients and staff safe. 

One hospital trust, Hull University Teaching Hospitals, told its patients it may be two years before they are treated. 

Writing on Twitter, Dr Cope said: 'Sadly we are now treating more patients in hospital with Covid-19 @LivHospitals than we did in April at the peak of the first wave and numbers continue to rise

Chief nurse of the hospitals trust Dianne Brown wrote on Twitter: 'As Covid rates @LivHospitals exceed the number back in April, need to recognise the impact this is having on our staff

But Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust dismissed the claim, insisting that its units were only 80 per cent full with just 47 of 61 critical-care beds occupied.  The trust's intensive care unit is normally 85 per cent full in October.  

It comes after hospital bed occupancy was used as a propaganda tool in the bad-tempered row over Covid restrictions in Manchester

But at present they are only 80 per cent full, the hospital trust has said