A total of £11.2 million had been spent on the facility on Millbrook playing field by the end of last month. It had an initial budget of £14.4 million.
The decision to decommission the hospital, which was never used, was taken by ministers following advice from the Scientific and Technical Advisory Cell, which unanimously agreed that it was no longer needed to provide back-up support. This was due to the vaccination programme being expected to reduce serious illness from the virus, the ability of the Hospital to manage Covid-19 patients and the increased
resilience of oxygen supplies.
Health Minister Richard Renouf said: ‘The Nightingale Wing offered us additional bed capacity and the knowledge that if we were to face severe numbers of Covid-19 in the Island, then we had the infrastructure in place to effectively look after our patients.
‘Having now been through two waves of the pandemic, we have a much better understanding of how this virus works and the increased resilience. The support offered within the Jersey General Hospital and throughout the community has meant we no longer require the Nightingale Wing. Let us not be complacent though, we must continue to implement all necessary measures to reduce the risk of spread to Islanders and protect the wellbeing of our community.’
Work will soon be undertaken to clear the contents with the aim of reusing as much of the equipment as possible. Some beds, furniture and clinical equipment will be put into storage.
Infrastructure Minister Kevin Lewis added: ‘Once the site is stripped, the owners of the structure will come back to dismantle and remove the building, before we work to return the land to its previous state.
‘We want to thank Islanders, particularly those living in the area, for their patience and understanding. We also thank the owners for allowing us to use their land over the past year.’
