APM webinar held on 25 May 2021, hosted by Katherine Hanratty, the Chair of the Northern Ireland branch. Presenter: David Porter The project planning and delivering at pace of a Nightingale Hospital at Whiteabbey, Northern Ireland. A COVID-19 Nightingale Facility has been delivered at Whiteabbey in Northern Ireland. The event will describe this project from inception to rapid completion. It will focus on the design and construction of the new facility, set in the context of the existing live hospital site. https://youtu.be/3Xlh_u4fLho https://www.apm.org.uk/news/delivering-a-covid-19-nightingale-hospital-in-whiteabbey-northern-ireland-webinar/

1. Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Hospital
In Northern Ireland
Presentation to the Association for Project Management
25th May 2021

2. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
1st recorded COVID-19
death in Northern Ireland
23 March 2020
18 March 2020
13 March 2020
March 2020
Elective Services in
Northern Ireland
cancelled
Feasibility Study
for Northern Ireland
Nightingale
CPD Health Projects
joined Department of
Health (NI) “Gold
Command” to assist in
strengthening the local
health estate in the
response to COVID-19
and to deliver a
Nightingale for Northern
Ireland
27-31 March 2020
April 2020
Belfast City Hospital
announced as Northern
Ireland’s Nightingale
2 April 2020
First Lockdown
Announced

3. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

4. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

5. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

6. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
KEY CHALLENGES IN DELIVERING NORTHERN IRELAND’S NIGHTINGALE
• Programme for Delivery
• Governance
• Staffing Model
• Clinical Issues
o Clinical Pathways & Patient Referral Process
o Model of Care
o Clinical Buy In
• Infrastructure Requirements & Site Constraints
o Medical Gases
o Ventilation
o Fire Safety
o Electrical
o Water & Sewers
o Industry capacity to deliver

7. Context & 1st Wave Proposals
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
NORTHERN IRELAND’S STRATEGY FOR 1st WAVE
• Belfast City Hospital designated as NI Nightingale
• Existing construction projects accelerated to deliver additional
beds:
o Ulster Hospital: 160 Beds
o Altnagelvin Hospital: 72 Beds
• Infrastructure upgrades to existing NI Health Estate

8. 2nd Wave – Timeline for Outline Review
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
Agree clinical function &
clinical specification
12 June 2020
12 June 2020
29 May 2020
June 2020
Review lessons learned
from Nightingales in
other regions /
jurisdictions
Feasibility Studies to
identify preferred sites
CPD Health Projects in
conjunction with EY
undertook a review of a
number of sites. Sites
assessed included those
previously assessed for
the Phase 1 Nightingale
proposals and a number
of new sites such as
Whiteabbey Hospital
30 June 2020
July 2020
Agree regional staffing
model and patient
pathways
10 July 2020
Assess capacity
requirements

9. Whiteabbey Hospital Location
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

10. Whiteabbey Hospital Site
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

11. Results from the Outline Review
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
Outstanding Issues To Be Addressed In The “Delivery Phase”
• A recommendation that a regional Nightingale facility should be
developed to provide intermediate care / step-down beds
• A requirement for a capacity of up to 100 beds
• A preferred site identified as Whiteabbey Hospital
• A business case setting out the rationale, benefits and costs for
the above model
• Staffing Model, Clinical Model & Patient Pathways to be agreed
Ministerial Announcement on 7 September 2020

12. Project Management Office & Workstreams
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
KEY PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENTS
• Project Board Initiated with immediate effect
• NHSCT established as “Senior Responsible Owner” with Project
Management Office support from EY
• Four Key Workstreams established:
o Governance & Operational Readiness
o Workforce
o Clinical Pathways
o Operations & Capital Development

13. Capital Workstream – Building the Team
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
KEY TEAM MEMBERS
• Workstream Lead: NHSCT Finance Director
o NHSCT Capital Lead
o NHSCT Estates
• CPD Health Projects
o Programme Director
o Project Manager / Architect
o Services Engineer
o Quantity Surveyor
• Consultant Design Team
o Todd Architects (Architects & Lead Consultant)
o Beattie Flanigan (Services Engineers)
o Doran Consulting (Civil & Structural Engineers)
o Currie & Brown (Cost Consultant & Principal Designer)
• Contractor: Dowds Group

14. Capital Workstream – Challenges
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
KEY CHALLENGES
• PROGRAMME
• THE DESIGN “PROCESS”
• WORKING WITHIN A LIVE HOSPITAL SITE
• COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS
• CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CAPACITY
• CHANGE CONTROL & COST CONTROL

15. Capital Workstream – Programme
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
KEY DATES
• Ministerial Announcement: 07/09/2020
• Completion due 2 December 2020
• Owing to concerns regarding rising
infection rates in NI, DoH instructed
that the programme be accelerated.
The first ward was made operational
10 days earlier than scheduled on 20
November 2020.

16. Capital Workstream – The Design “Process”
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

17. Capital Workstream – The Design “Process”
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

18. Capital Workstream – Compliance with Standards
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

19. Capital Workstream – Industry Capacity
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland

20. Capital Workstream – Outcomes & Comparators
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland
CLINICAL OUTCOMES
• UK Nightingales - Patients Treated*
o London (Excel) : 51
o Birmingham : 0
o Glasgow : 0
o Whiteabbey : ?
* Information taken from British Medical Journal (May 2020)
PROJECT COSTS
• UK Nightingales – Total Cost**
o London (Excel) : £57.4m
o Birmingham : £66.4m
o Glasgow : £43m
o Whiteabbey : ?
* Information taken from Lord Bethell’s response to UK
Parliament dated 11 January 2021

21. Nightingale Whiteabbey
Whiteabbey Nightingale in Numbers
Information Dated: 1st February
Current
Status
Beds
available
11
17
Current
patients
Current patients
by home trust
0
Referrals in process
(Pending)
61%
Current
occupancy
Cumulative
Status
95
Total admissions
(past and present)
Total discharges
(excluding acute
escalations)
57
21
Total escalations
to acute
3
Average
referrals/day
Total patients by
referring trust
Total patients by
home trust
NHSCT 58
BHSCT 32
SHSCT 1
SEHSCT 1
WHSCT 3
NHSCT 66
BHSCT 25
SHSCT 2
SEHSCT 0
WHSCT 2
62
Referrals
declined
12.9
Average length
of stay (days)
14
Referrals accepted
(patient on route)
1
NHSCT 13
BHSCT 4
SHSCT -
SEHSCT -
WHSCT -

22. The Future?
Delivering a COVID-19 Nightingale Project in Northern Ireland