Hundreds of non Covid-19 patients treated at NHS Louisa Jordan

The emergency hospital set up in Glasgow to assist the coronavirus response has treated more than 300 patients this month.

Built in the early stages of the pandemic, the hospital based at the Scottish Events Campus (SEC) has not been required to treat Covid-19 patients.

But an NHS Lanarkshire-led pilot at the NHS Louisa Jordan has seen 315 patients receive orthopaedic and plastic surgery outpatient consultations since the start of July.

Plans are now in place to expand the services offered at the site and increase the number of patients it can receive daily from health boards across Scotland.

New services to be offered include key diagnostics such as X-rays, CT scanning and ultrasounds, as well as speciality dermatology appointments.

Following a visit to the hospital to meet staff and patients, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We always hoped that the NHS Louisa Jordan would never be needed for the Covid response and thanks to the continued collective efforts of people across Scotland to suppress the virus, that has been the case.

“When it comes to tackling this virus, we have all had to be flexible and adapt to the ‘new normal’ and that includes our health service.

“Although the NHS Louisa Jordan has not been required to treat Covid-19 patients, it remains a vital asset in our phased approach to resuming NHS services safely where we can.

“It is providing capacity to reduce waiting lists and improve outcomes for patients across Scotland.”

She added that the NHS Louisa Jordan “stands ready to treat patients with the virus at just a few days’ notice” should it be needed.

The hospital, which cost £31m to build, was named after Glasgow-born First World War nurse Sister Louisa Jordan, who died on active service in Serbia in 1915.

A total of 1036 bed bays were set up at the hospital, with capacity to treat an initial 300 patients.