Coronavirus: New field hospital replaces Principality Stadium site

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The Principality Stadium, Cardiff, was transformed into a field hospital to treat coronavirus patients

Wales' largest coronavirus field hospital is to be replaced by a smaller version.

The 2,000-bed hospital at Cardiff's Principality Stadium is being decommissioned and a unit with 400 beds will be built next to the city's University Hospital of Wales.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething said the new site would cost 拢33m and would help manage any winter increase.

The stadium was the only field hospital in Wales to treat patients.

"We know the winter can present greater difficulty for NHS staff, and with the virus more likely to spread in colder conditions we need to ensure we have the bed capacity to cope with increased demand," Mr Gething said.

"Tomorrow I will be announcing further actions to be taken across health and social care through the publication of a Winter Protection Plan, and later this month I will be outlining extra funding for other health boards to ensure we retain enough bed capacity throughout the rest of Wales."

The Principality Stadium site, which was known as the Dragon's Heart Hospital, will be cleared by the end of October with the new facility being built at the same time.