A Nightingale hospital in Exeter has been redesigned to help tackle the backlog in waiting lists, with a number of services expanded as part of the repurposing.

The hospital in Exeter was built in 2020 to prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. It has now been redesigned to be ‘efficient’, with developments including: two operating theatres for day case and short-stay elective orthopaedic procedures; a high-volume cataract and diagnostic hub for glaucoma and retina conditions; a community diagnostic hub to include CT and MRI scanning; and an outpatient rheumatology and infusions centre.

Chris Tidman, deputy chief executive of the trust, said: "We're struggling like every other hospital is struggling because we all want to grow our workforce to get through our backlog. But the beauty of this place is we have designed it to be really efficient. So once we can begin to staff it you will see the benefits."