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Christian volunteer gives behind the scenes look into NHS Nightingale Hospital

by Tola Mbakwe

The head of a mission charity has volunteered at what is now one of the world's largest hospitals. 

The NHS Nightingale opened as a temporary facility at the ExCel centre in east London on Friday. 

It was set up by NHS contractors in just over a week with the assistance of around 200 military personnel.

Andy Frost, director of Christian mission charity Share Jesus, worked behind the scenes to help get the hospital up and running. 

He welcomed doctors, set up technological equipment, organised break out rooms for staff and showed nursed around. 

He told Premier Christian News while he was there staff were being briefed on a variety of things including use of ventilators and mental health. 

"They're being taught how to deal with stress and anxiety as well. [They've been told] you're going to see some pretty horrendous things over the coming weeks. So it's really helping them to work through how they process those emotions and those feelings. 

"I think there's a real sense of them being excited about the whole thing and about getting to serve practically. But there's also a sense of this is quite a daunting thing to be involved with. 

"But what's amazing is the NHS staff are going into that place where it is going be quite dangerous, but they're willing to go and serve. They're willing to go and help those who are most in need and want to put their lives on the line."

The Nightingale, named after nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale, will need an army of up to 16,000 staff in clinical and ancillary roles to keep it running.

Prince Charles, who opened the facility via-video link, hailed the new NHS Nightingale hospital as a "practical message of hope" for coronavirus patients during a "time of national suffering".

He added: “Let us also pray, ladies and gentlemen, that it will be required for as short a time, and for as few people as possible.”

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