Logistics and project management skills from Network Rail have been helping deliver the NHS Nightingale hospital in North West.

Many volunteers with specialisms in supply chain and logistics worked with the Army Reserve and NHS to get the hospital up and running over the Easter weekend. The hospital has a capacity for up to 750 patients.

On Easter Sunday, all the volunteers helped unload, move and build beds for the hospital ready for the first patients with COVID-19.

The GMEX in Manchester Central is currently going to be a temporary hospital is a key response to COVID-19.

Network Rail has given the NHS storage space at the regional distribution centre in Warrington.

The staff at Network Rail had volunteered to work over the Bank Holiday weekend when they would normally be closed over Easter, so the NHS Nightingale North West opened on time.

Between Manchester and Warrington, around 500 items of NHS equipment was transported over the Easter Weekend. There is more equipment being held at the distribution centre for when it is needed.

Warehouse staff, drivers, and management from DHL and Network Rail all volunteered their Bank Holiday to help the HNS.

Work on the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West follows on from efforts by Network Rail to deliver two lorry loads of PPE for medical workers. The supplies were driven over 230 miles from St Helen’s to Aldershot Barracks back in March.

What did the officials say?

Martin Frobisher, Network Rail group safety, technical and engineering director, said:

“The NHS Nightingale Hospital North West has been a brilliant project. The pace and the energy has been fantastic. Everyone has worked together to meet the deadlines and I’m delighted that Network Rail has been able to help the NHS.

“We have provided warehousing, lorries and logistical support. We also provided teams of people to assemble the hospital equipment. I’m very proud of the Network Rail people who volunteered with this vitally important project.”

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