The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
Ambitious plans for a multi-million pound regional ‘COVID’ hub – the first of its kind in the country - have today been unveiled by Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle City Council.
Serving the North East, north Cumbria, Yorkshire and Humber, the laboratory will deliver high-volume, rapid turnaround of COVID-19 tests, with the capacity to process up to 80,000 tests a day if needed.
This significant development, approved by Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, will strengthen the region’s resilience and response in controlling coronavirus and create 1,100 public sector jobs on Tyneside.
As well as creating an integrated system for increased testing and tracing – which will include a new lab based in Gateshead - the hub will also include a specialist innovation lab at the Helix site in Newcastle, tailored to develop new approaches for the next stage of COVID science and beyond. This will place the region in a strong position to prepare for future infectious disease risks.
The integrated COVID hub will link testing and results into clinical data systems used by hospitals and will support NHS Test and Trace, as well as increasing local resilience for rapid outbreak response.
The partnership between the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle City Council, together with public health teams, local universities and industry, is the first of its kind in the UK and could establish a blueprint for other parts of the country.
The project will build upon Newcastle Hospitals’ international reputation for life sciences and innovation, and its strong track record for delivering projects on this scale.
Chief Executive Dame Jackie Daniel said: “This is an exciting and important investment in the North East, which will create 1,100 public sector jobs.
“The collective effort in combating the pandemic to date has been outstanding and owes much to the excellence of services, partnership working and also the public playing their part in minimising the spread of the virus.
“We know that effective testing and tracing will continue to be a key pillar of the national strategy to protect the NHS and save lives, as well as supporting the economy. Our integrated Covid hub will be a major step in ensuring the North East is in the strongest position to deal with the ongoing pressures of the pandemic, including responding to any future waves.”
Expected to launch in December, the dedicated hub will include:
The lab will supplement and work closely with existing NHS labs across North East, Yorkshire and Humber to optimise capacity and rapid turnaround of results.
As one of 11 Good Practice Network councils contributing to national thinking on testing and data policies, Newcastle City Council has worked closely with Newcastle Hospitals to develop the proposal for this regional facility.
Councillor Nick Forbes, leader of Newcastle City Council said: “Throughout this pandemic the strength of the partnerships has shone brightly and the co-operation between our hospitals, council and universities has seen this innovative plan develop quickly.
“Crucially this investment will bring 1,100 high-quality jobs to Tyneside; once again highlighting that Newcastle is a modern, digital first city that has world class infrastructure, talent and technology to deliver these developments.
“We know that there are difficult times ahead and many sectors across the region will be impacted; providing new opportunities to our residents and investment in the city are key aspects of our recovery from the pandemic.
“Newcastle is an ambitious, resilient city and announcements like this will help our city bounce back from the pandemic.”
Eugene Milne, Newcastle’s Director of Public Health, said: “The integrated Covid hub for the region will bring together the expertise of public health, the NHS and our universities. Throughout COVID-19 this city and our region have built on the strong partnerships which already exist.
“These facilities and the people who will work within them will play a critical role not only in dealing with COVID-19 and any second wave but also to support work to identify, prevent and deal with any future pandemics.”
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
The UK’s National Innovation Centre for Ageing is the first in the world to evaluate “gita robots”, a cargo-carrying robot which follows you around, to assess the impact on the mobility of older adults.
A symbol of light has been unveiled on Newcastle Helix. The recently opened Lumen building has had a ‘Halo’ installed across the top of the building, that can be seen for miles across the city.
With winter looming and as the days continue to get shorter, the theme of The Lumen Print Collection takes on an uplifting new significance. Curated around the central theme of light by Northern Print, the collection features original prints by six artists, two of whom have been especially commissioned to make new work for the building.
The North East’s own centre for original printmaking, Northern Print has been working with The Lumen during this year’s lockdown to curate a permanent collection of original fine art prints for the flagship building.
The Lumen Print collection, curated by Northern Print, the North East’s centre for original printmaking, celebrates talent from across the UK on a theme of ‘light’.
Ambitious plans for a multi-million pound regional ‘COVID’ hub – the first of its kind in the country - have today been unveiled by Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle City Council.
Marc Burton
Lumen Building Manager
marc.burton@lumennewcastle.co.uk
07541 988 981
Sarah Thompson
Assistant Building Manager
sarah.thompson@lumennewcastle.co.uk
07840 848 425
Tony Bradley
Repairs and Maintenance Coordinator maintenance@lumennewcastle.co.uk 07724 308 802
Zoe Davies
Front of House Coordinator
reception@lumennewcastle.co.uk
0191 495 7400