NELFT has been awarded the Military and Civilian Health Partnership Award with 22 Field Hospital at the prestigious HSJ Awards 2021, for its rapid build of London’s NHS Nightingale Hospital in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Boxing Day (26 Dec 2020), NELFT, alongside the MoD, was given a military-style order to build a new hospital and treat its first patient in only ten days.

Responding to a surge of COVID infections and hospital admissions during last Christmas, a dedicated team of medical and military personnel worked tirelessly to achieve this, opening an initial 60 beds with a further 300 ready if needed.

Dr Caroline Allum, Executive Medical Director for NELFT and Clinical Lead for Nightingale 2 for London, said:

"This award is dedicated to our extremely committed staff who worked tirelessly to protect us in what has been the biggest health challenge for generations. The NHS-military partnership shows the great lengths we have gone to in the battle against this devastating disease, and so I urge anyone who has not yet done so – please take up the jab and help protect lives.”

The NHS Nightingale Hospital at the Excel Centre, London, was redesigned to take on patients without COVID-19 who were recovering from hospital stays, in order to expand the capacity of Trusts’ General and Adult beds and intensive care units (ITU).

The Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards ceremony celebrates excellence in the healthcare service.

At the same awards, Kate Pollock our Freedom to Speak Up Guardian was also a finalist for her work in embedding Freedom to Speak Up across NELFT. 

In additon, on Tuesday 16 November, our Director of Corporate Affairs Lauren MacIntyre also won the Company Secretary Of The Year Award at the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland awards. This award recognises those company secretaries who have mastered the complex legal and regulatory environments in which they work and have made a demonstrable difference.