Page 17 - 4RA Regimental Journal 2019-2020

4th Regiment Royal Artillery
Project NIGHTINGALE – a Plans Liaison perspective
At the beginning of April, as part of Operation RESCRIPT, members of 129 (Dragon) Battery were assigned to Project NIGHTINGALE. Their task was to deploy to NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber, a new, temporary hospi- tal, based at Harrogate Convention Cen- tre, one of a number of ‘field hospitals’ commissioned by the UK Government to ensure NHS capacity during the COVID- 19 outbreak.
The Hospital provides 500 additional critical care beds to patients from across Yorkshire and the Humber who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and are already inpatients at other hospital in the region. The NHS Nightingale Hospital’s mission was to support hospitals in the region by providing a contingency should additional critical care capacity, or specialist capabil- ity be required.
The Hospital was built and activated by a team of specialists from partner hospitals and NHS bodies from across the region with the support of the British Army, and the civilian sector. Leeds Teaching Hos- pitals NHS Trust served as the focal point from an executive and administrative per- spective, but the project was very much one based on a genuinely ‘integrated’ approach. Throughout the project, the NHS team received additional expertise from academic health science networks and the construction industry with teams managing the build alongside NHS estates and facilities experts.
Members of 129 (Dragon) Battery, includ- ing the Battery Commander, Maj Ed Den- ton RA and the Battery Captain, Capt Karl Dietz-Collin, deployed to the then Harro- gate Convention Centre in order to act as the Plans Mentoring Liaison Officer and his Deputy. It was immediately apparent that there was a vast amount of planning to be done, dozens of teams collaborating and hundreds of staff from all sectors pull-
Captain Karl Dietz-Collin RA
The Harrogate Convention Centre became the YHN Nightingale Hospital
ing together to work around-the-clock and provide a fully functioning hospital within a matter of days. It was the job of the 129 Battery planning mentors to support this.
Whilst NHS planning is thorough and their procedures technically outstanding, it was the role of the 129 Battery Officers to mentor the heads of departments in those quick planning tools and processes that make the British Army a world-renowned force, that has a reputation for effective planning. Maj Denton and Capt Dietz- Collin introduced the Nightingale planning staff to the concept of the ‘Seven Ques- tions’ Combat Estimate planning process, as well as other British Army planning and execution tools, bringing together each department and ensuring that they had a common structure from which to work.
It was apparent that the input was very well received. Heads of department took on what they called a ‘military mindset,’ working day and night, adhering to strict timings and conducting regular briefings both up and down the management chain. Maj Denton acted as the middle man between each department, collating work and demonstrating how best to present it to the executive staff in a clear, concise manner and adhering to very tight time- scales.
The Yorkshire and Humber Nightingale Harrogate Project achieved their aim. They remain ready to support the region’s hos- pitals in providing critical care to COVID- 19 patients at very short notice and mem- bers of 129 (Dragon) Battery are proud to have helped.
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