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London buses turned into ambulances to ease Covid strain

Exclusive: Adapted single-deckers with seats removed and oxygen onboard will transfer patients
NHS staff are preparing to transport patients using two London buses that have been converted into makeshift ambulances, in another sign of the strain Covid is putting on the capital’s health services.
Most of the seats on the single-decker buses have been removed so that each can carry four patients, in an attempt to relieve the intense pressure on hospitals and the London ambulance service.
Go-Ahead, the bus company which owns the vehicles, has loaned them to the NHS in the capital to help transfer patients, including to the reopened London Nightingale field hospital.
They will be staffed by doctors and nurses who work in the NHS, especially in intensive care, as well as volunteers from the St John Ambulance first aid charity.
Go-Ahead is also providing four drivers for the vehicles, which have been adapted so that vital medical equipment – including infusion pumps and monitors – can be used to keep patients stable and observe their condition. All have been vaccinated against coronavirus. Go-Ahead was inundated with offers from its drivers to help.
The buses will also have oxygen onboard and will be able to give it to patients who need it, including those with Covid, through a facemask. The electric vehicles will be able to charge the equipment from their batteries.
The first patients are due to be moved in the buses in the next few days. Initially, they are likely to be patients from London hospitals who are being moved to the Nightingale at the ExCeL arena to receive “step-down” care before they are discharged. It reopened last week but, unlike in the first wave, is being used for less sick patients rather than those who are seriously ill with Covid.
It is thought to be the first time any part of the NHS has had to use specially adapted buses like this to move patients around. Personnel onboard will wear personal protective equipment.
The NHS staff on the buses will be doctors and nurses who work for the Specialist Retrieval and Intensive Care Transfer Service (Sprint), an NHS service which was set up in March, as the Covid pandemic struck, to move sick people between intensive care units at hospitals in south London to ensure none became overwhelmed.
Dedicated stops have been created outside King’s College and Guy’s hospitals in south London to ensure the buses can park and collect patients and have priority. The sides of the buses bear large stickers saying “NHS patient transport” and bearing the health service’s logo.
They will help the London ambulance service, which has been under serious pressure and struggled to answer the huge number of 999 calls it has been receiving since the capital once again became the centre of the lethal second wave of coronavirus around Christmas.
They have had holes inserted in their floors to secure four ambulance stretcher trolleys on wheels made by a firm called Stryker and make sure they do not move around while the bus is in motion.
Patients who need it can be given help to breathe or intravenous medication during the journey.
The initiative has been arranged by Go-Ahead, Sprint and Transport for London.
The London Nightingale opened amid great fanfare in March and was originally intended to be a massive 4,000-bed Covid critical care unit. However, staffing proved problematic and in the first wave it only treated a few dozen patients. It is now being used to take up to 300 non-Covid patients who are close to discharge and is also acting as one of the NHS’s mass vaccination centres.
source: Denis Campbell
Levant
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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