Harrogate Nightingale Hospital preparing to take coronavirus patients
It's after a rise in cases across the North of England.
The Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate's been asked to prepare to take patients.
It's as cases of coronavirus continue to rise across the North.
The temporary hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre was created in April this year - but has not treated one patient with coronavirus.
With a 500 bed capacity, it's been on standby ever since.
Now with cases of coronavirus on the rise across the North, hospital bosses in Harrogate have been asked to prepare the site to take patients.
It's one of three in Northern England to be on standby.
NHS medical director Professor Stephen Powis made the announcement during this morning's briefing.
He told a Downing Street briefing there would also be increased testing of health staff in hotspot areas.
He said: "To protect our staff and our patients we will be introducing - with tests provided by the Test and Trace service - regular testing for staff in these high-risk areas, even when they don't have symptoms.
"This will help us keep staff and patients in those hospitals as safe as possible.
"Secondly, we have asked the Nightingale hospitals in Manchester, Sunderland and Harrogate to prepare for this next phase.
"They are being asked to mobilise over the next few weeks to be ready to accept patients if necessary.''