Coronavirus: Military planners consider London's ExCel centre as site for 'field hospital'

Venue may be used if NHS runs out of beds

Military planners have visited the ExCel Centre, in London’s Docklands, to ascertain whether it can be used as a hospital if the NHS runs out of beds to treat coronavirus patients.

Eight service personnel from the Ministry of Defence’s "Covid Support Force" carried out the logistical assessments at the centre as part of a contingency programme with a sharp expected rise in numbers of those suffering from the virus in the coming weeks.

The NHS will run the "field hospital" – should the site be chosen as one, with no plans at this stage – of military medics working at the site. No other large facility has been looked at, so far, for use as a treatment centre, but this may change in the coming days.

Defence officials stressed that this was a preliminary stage of scoping operations, and the decision is yet to be made on whether the ExCel Centre will be utilised.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said: “To assist NHS England to prepare for a number of scenarios as the Coronavirus outbreak unfolds, a team of military planners visited the ExCel centre in London to determine how the centre might benefit the NHS response to the outbreak.”

The MoD said last week that the use of barracks, the building of "tent cities" and, possibly, ships, to make up for a shortage of hospital beds are all under consideration but officials say it may be more logistically effective to provide personnel and equipment in facilities such as hotels near hospitals.

While up to 10,000 soldiers, sailors and air force from the support force can be deployed on the ground, DSTL (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory) in Porton Down is working with other government scientific and medical facilities, including Public Health England, in the search for a treatment.

Training has begun of 150 drivers to drive oxygen tankers for hospitals and clinics, with the service to become operational in 10 days. Military personnel will also be used to deliver food to elderly and vulnerable people in prolonged isolation.

Under the terms of the Military Aid to Civil Authorities, the armed forces can deployed to help civil powers, like the police and fire service, in times of emergency and they will be available if there is rioting or looting and to guard quarantine zones if these are established.

The Covid Support Force will be run from the Headquarters Standing Joint Command in Aldershot, which coordinates resilience missions for the state.

Military planners that command unit been placed in government departments dealing with the crisis. Reservists, especially those with specific skill sets, will be used in the operations with measures in place to call them out when necessary.