The Jersey Nightingale Hospital will create an additional 180 beds for coronavirus patients, who will be provided with acute, enhanced and ongoing levels of medical care, including oxygen provision but not invasive ventilation.

J3 Ltd is working on the project drawing on support and knowledge from its joint venture partners Garenne, Sir Robert McAlpine and FES.

The hospital is under construction on Millbrook Playing Field and will be operational in the first week of May, less than a month after the decision was taken to build it.

The Jersey Nightingale Hospital will provide the extra in-patient care capacity expected to be required on the island as the number of Islanders needing medical support in hospital increases.

The J3 team brings to the project experience of working on the NHS Nightingale Hospitals in Manchester, Preston, Bangor and Glasgow.

J3 Ltd Director Marc Burton said: “We continue to be encouraged by how we and the wider construction industry can apply our knowledge and expertise to support the island’s fight against COVID-19. A tremendous effort from Government, Health and Community Services, the military, Hospital staff and of our own design and construction teams has enabled great progress to be made in a very short space of time.  The construction industry in Jersey has really come together for this project, with the exception of Neptunus who are the specialist contractors to erect the building, all other work is being completed by local companies.”

Design work has been progressing around the clock to allow for the necessary sign-offs and procurement of key elements of the building to deliver the hospital on time.

Work on site is well under way with assembly of the aluminium frame and semi-rigid panels used to create the temporary building ongoing.

The 130 metres by 40 metres building is designed to allow medical teams to work as efficiently as possible. There will be enough space for six 30-bed wards and areas to admit and discharge patients, as well as staff rest and changing facilities, X-rays, equipment storage, laundry and a morgue.

The Nightingale Hospital Project Team includes representatives from Health and Community Services, Growth, Housing and Environment, and the military, who will help with the hospital construction.