Former University of the West of Scotland (UWS) Deputy Principal Professor Paul Martin CBE has played a leading role in creating Scotland’s largest temporary hospital to help fight coronavirus.
Professor Martin was the workforce lead for the project and establishment phase of the hospital. His role involved advising and informing both the clinical shape of the hospital’s services and translating this into an integrated workforce model, looking at staff numbers and skills, training and deployment.
Speaking about his role, Professor Martin said: “One of the most impressive experiences was the teamwork across the project – from the designers, to procurement, to clinical modelling. All of which was person-centred and connected to the core values of the NHS across Scotland.”
The temporary hospital based at Glasgow’s SEC, which was created in less than three weeks, is part of the NHS Scotland hospital family and an integral part of the collective response to coronavirus.
The hospital has the ability to care for coronavirus-positive patients over the age of 18, who meet the criteria for admission within the clear clinical model for the hospital.
The NHS Louisa Jordan will help manage the additional demand of COVID-19 on hospitals by providing care for COVID-19 patients who don’t need critical care and are in a stable condition. If necessary, NHS Louisa Jordan will be able to provide temporary high dependency level care to allow a deteriorating patient to be stabilised prior to transfer to a critical care unit.
The £43 million facility, which was completed on 20 April, will be able to care for just over 1,000 patients – but it is hoped that the hospital will not be needed.
Professor Martin added: “Universities played a key role in the creation of the hospital, having informed the evidence base that underpinned the patient care standards; the research, for example, that supported design and infection control decisions; and, perhaps most importantly, the preparation of the broad clinical workforce.”
Hundreds of current and former UWS students and staff are playing their part in the fight against coronavirus. Over the last two weeks, around 1,200 UWS students have joined the workforce in NHS hospitals, care homes and labs. The University is also lending and donating items such personal protective equipment, venepuncture arms for canula insertion training, and 33 beds from the University’s training wards, which will be used at NHS Louisa Jordan.