I was quite shocked by your report about the London Nightingale (London NHS Nightingale hospital will shut next week, 4 May).
Why? The money was spent to create it and have it there to exclusively treat coronavirus patients. It was my understanding that other hospitals could then continue treating people for a variety of ailments and illnesses, from cancer to broken legs, from pneumonia to heart issues, without patients having to worry about catching the virus.
Instead we read that people needing treatment for conditions other than coronavirus are just going to have to wait and, in some cases, die for lack of treatment while the focus remains on Covid-19. I thought that the Nightingale hospital was designed to focus on and treat as many virus victims as possible while giving patients who have “ordinary” or “traditional” ailments the peace of mind that they will be able to receive the best treatment the NHS can offer – while also protecting the many doctors, nurses, cleaners, etc from the risk of coming in contact with coronavirus.
Martha Jean Baker
London
