The staff canteen, Charters Restaurant, has temporarily shut to allow a makeshift ward to open in its place as the hospital braces for a wave of new Covid admissions in the weeks to come.
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The makeshift ward inside Royal Preston Hospital is in addition to the 100-capacity Nightingale Surge Hub announced last week, to be built on the visitor car park opposite the main entrance.
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The Nightingale hub is one of 8 to open at hospitals around England and will service the wider North West region, providing up to 100 extra beds for recovering patients.
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But last week, the Government asked all of England's hospital trusts to find additional space for extra beds as patient numbers soar across the country.
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In November, 61% of emergency admissions (out of a total of 2,873) had to wait at least four hours for a bed on a ward.