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Hotel transformed to provide up to 150 beds for recovering coronavirus patients

The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital. Picture by Mal McCann.
The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital. Picture by Mal McCann. The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital. Picture by Mal McCann.

A BELFAST city centre hotel is to provide up to 150 beds for recovering coronavirus patients.

The Irish News yesterday revealed that the Ramada Hotel on Talbot Street will open this week as a "step down" centre.

While staff will initially care for 40 patients over two floors, it is envisaged that they will use the facility's five floors in coming weeks as they prepare for a projected surge in cases.

Healthcare Ireland, a private company which owns 14 care homes across Northern Ireland, confirmed they had contacted the health minster and Belfast trust last week with the proposal and worked "flat out" over five days to transform the hotel into a care setting.

Belfast trust patients who are deemed medically fit to be discharged but are awaiting a transfer to a nursing home or care package will be treated in the facility.

Gilbert Yates, chief executive of Healthcare Ireland, said: "It occurred to me last week that we have access to some beds and equipment which might be useful to the wider healthcare system.

The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann.
The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann. The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann.

"With hotels currently lying empty, I thought we could join forces and transform a hotel into a step-down unit to ease the pressure on the hospitals looking after the most critically ill patients. It could provide nursing care for those who remain sick but who no longer require the same level of critical care in the hospitals. It seemed like a good way to maximise the use of critical care nursing and I thought it might provide a release valve for them.”

A deep clean of the hotel has been carried out, while pharmacy and nursing stations are to operate on each floor.

Nurses, social care staff and occupational therapists from the Belfast trust will be among those deployed to the centre as well as agency and nursing workers from the care home company.

The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann.
The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann. The Ramada Hotel in Talbot Street that is being converted into a step down facility to deal with coronavirus patients discharged from hospital Picture Mal McCann.

"We are in the process of moving the beds and equipment in now and we hope to have it ready for operation on Wednesday," Mr Yates added.

Natalie Magee, interim co-director for adult community care and older people at the trust, said they were "really pleased" with the project which she said was part of the health system's contingency planning to tackle the escalation in Covid-19 cases.

"This has taken a lot of work with a team of very dedicated staff who want to provide a safe service for recovering patients in a step-down centre," she said.

The Department of Health has said they expected a steep rise in cases to begin this week and last until April 20.