University of Salford training clinical staff set to work in NHS Nightingale

The University of Salford is providing training to clinical staff who will be working in the new NHS Nightingale Hospital North West.

Staff in the new hospital in the Manchester Central conference centre, also known as the G-MEX, will receive a full induction to help combat the coronavirus disease.

Training will cover topics including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), assisted breathing techniques (CPAP), communication and refreshing clinical skills.

Professor Margaret Rowe, Dean of the School of Health and Society at the University of Salford said: “We are proud to be opening up our facilities to support this vital training for NHS clinical staff at the new Nightingale hospital.

“In these challenging times it is more important than ever that we all pull together to defeat this devastating virus, and we’re delighted to be able to support our NHS partners in this way.

“We’ll be continuing to support the NHS and care organisations in Greater Manchester ensuring they have all the support they need.”

In response to the ongoing pandemic, the #WeAreTogether movement has seen academic institutions such as the University of Salford and Brunel University, London training NHS staff as part of the COVID education project.

Amongst universities such as Swansea, Bath and Cambridge donating personal protective equipment (PPE), the University of Salford has used the Maker Space engineering facility to develop a prototype protective visor for NHS staff.

The university also has nursing and midwifery students on placement in the NHS across Greater Manchester and has supplied specialist equipment to help the government to run tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests per day.

Other members of the Salford community have been helping out in the effort to flatten the curve, with 19-year-old journalism student Ellie MacDonald on the frontline working as a cleaner in an A&E hospital.

The current total of confirmed cases in Salford has reached 362 according to the Public Health England coronavirus tracker, with a national total of 93,873 cases.

There have been 12,107 hospital deaths in the UK so far, with 778 more people dying of the disease today.