The NHS has named the trust and team of experts tasked with overseeing Bristol's pop-up Nightingale Hospital.
The specialist coronavirus hospital is currently being built at the University of the West England's Frenchay campus, and will care for up to 1,000 patients with COVID-19.
A first-look photo of the hospital, understood to be inside a conference centre, was posted on Twitter yesterday.
The NHS has now confirmed that the facility will be ready to accept its first patients before the end of April, and has released more photos of how it is shaping up.
It has also revealed that the hospital will be run by North Bristol NHS Trust, becoming the fifth hospital in its group alongside others including Southmead.
A team of senior clinicians, specialists and managers with a combined 180 years of experience working in the NHS have been appointed to oversee the operation.
Andrea Young, chief executive of North Bristol NHS Trust, will be the accountable officer for the hospital's services.
She said: "The Nightingale Bristol will enhance and support our critical care capacity across the South West and is a real collaborative partnership between all NHS providers, commissioners and partner agencies and organisations.
“On behalf of the NHS I want to thank the public for their extraordinary support in maintaining self- isolation if symptomatic or vulnerable and through social distancing.
"Those actions are definitely helping us manage this pandemic and we need everyone to sustain them."
She said she was 'deeply grateful' to NHS partners across the region for their support.
Marie-Noelle Orzel has been seconded to lead the hospital's management team, which is being assembled from a number of NHS bodies in the region.
Elizabeth O’Mahoney, NHS Regional Director for the South West, said: "This is the single biggest challenge facing our country for generations. We can learn from what is happening across the country and we want the NHS in the South West to be as well prepared as possible.
“The Nightingale Bristol will support our hospitals to care for critically ill patients as and when needed. We would prefer never to even admit a patient, but it will be in place if needed.
"We would ask that everyone in the South West follows the national recommendations to stay at home, observe social distancing, protect your local NHS and each of you will help save lives."
London's Nightingale Hospital began treating its first patients yesterday.
The full leadership team for Nightingale Bristol is:
- Marie-Noelle Orzel, Hospital Chief Officer
- Paula Clarke, Deputy Chief Officer/COO (Director of Strategy and Transformation at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust)
- Tim Whittlestone, Medical Director (Deputy Medical Director at North Bristol NHS Trust)
- Hayley Peters, Nursing Director (Chief Nurse at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust)
- Brian Johnson, Director of Estates and Facilities (Royal United Hospitals Bath Foundation Trust)
- Catherine Phillips, Finance Director (Director of Finance at North Bristol NHS Trust)
- Neil Darvill, IM& T Director (Chief Information Officer at North Bristol NHS Trust)
- Jane Harris, Communications Director (Head of Communications and Engagement at Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group)
- Steve Aumayer, HR Director (EKIM Consulting Limited, former UHB FT)
- Xavier Bell, Director of Governance (Director of Corporate Governance and Trust Secretary at North Bristol NHS Trust)
- Adrian Coombs, Programme Director (Major Events Boss Limited)
