WORK to transform leisure centres into additional NHS bed capacity units started yesterday.

The army were drafted into to begin the work, led locally by agencies in Cumbria working as part of he Local Resilience Forum.

Andrew Slattery, Assistant Chief Constable and chair of the multi-agency Cumbria Strategic Co-ordination Group, said: “I am pleased to be able to announce that through effective multi-agency working involving Cumbria authorities and the Ministry of Defence, we are establishing an additional 500 patient beds across the county for Cumbria’s NHS organisations responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The additional beds will be available if our hospitals reach full capacity and beds will be allocated by our NHS colleagues as required.

“They will not be for general access by the public.

“The facilities will be established at Whitehaven Sports Centre, The Sands Centre in Carlisle, Penrith Leisure Centre and Kendal Leisure Centre and Furness Academy in Barrow. Equipment is being installed through this week with the assistance of Ministry of Defence troops who are supporting preparations in Cumbria.

“These facilities have been arranged locally in anticipation of the likely demand on NHS bed space.

“The full operational model of how the new facilities would work is still being developed. But work now will ensure that the basic physical infrastructure is in place should it be needed.

“This is a prudent and sensible approach given how this pandemic has developed in other countries.

“I am very grateful to all of those people who have helped us achieve this and the strategic coordinating group will continue to support our NHS colleagues in any way we can.”

Lyn Simpson, chief executive of North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We welcome the news that additional bed capacity will be available to us in the coming weeks in anticipation of increased demand on our services.

“We are very grateful for the fantastic response from our multi agency partners in securing this additional capacity, and we will now work together to plan how these facilities can be used.”

Dr Shahedal Bari, medical director at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, said: “On behalf of the trust, I would like to thank each and every one of the multi-agency teams involved, who by working together have made it possible to establish these additional beds to support our patients during these unprecedented circumstances.

“We continue to be overwhelmed by the response from our staff and within the community who are going above and beyond every day.”

Mike Starkie, mayor of Copeland, feels setting the leisure centres in this way shows the county is supporting the NHS.

He explained: “What we are trying to do is support as much as we possibly can.

“This is what we have been requested to do as a local authority and anything we do that is going to help us address the situation we are more than happy to be playing our part.

“It’s a precautionary measure to address the situation as it is developing.

“Cumbria is pretty much the same as everywhere else in the country, we are expecting this to peak out in the next couple of weeks and we are trying to be as well prepared for that peak as possible.

“We continue to just urge people to follow the guidelines stay safe, stay home and support the NHS.

“The sooner we do, the sooner we will be through this.”

Trudy Harrison, MP for Copeland has paid tribute to those working on the frontline.

She said: “I am in regular contact with North Cumbria Trust and I’m aware of the potential for military field style hospital is currently being assessed and any construction would be dependent on many factors.

“In addition, extra Covid-19 patient beds have been created across all hospitals and a Covid-19 centre is being developed in Whitehaven.

“I think the response of all medical and support staff has been exceptional and I pay tribute to everyone working in hospital, in social care homes, and indeed across all sectors to keep our families safe.

“There are thousands of unsung heroes working day and night across Copeland and the whole country, and we need to lessen the burden placed upon workers by taking the measures put in place very seriously indeed.”