After 205 days, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board (UHB) formally left Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig, Dragon’s Heart Hospital, on Wednesday.
The hospital will now complete its decommissioning plan to allow for the reinstatement of the Principality Stadium.
Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig, Dragon’s Heart Hospital, was the second-largest field hospital in the UK, and was constructed as part of NHS Wales’ response to Covid-19.
The temporary hospital extended the Health Board’s capacity to accommodate up to 2,000 patients.
The hospital opened on April 20 and received its first patient on April 28, with 46 patients being admitted during the peak of the pandemic.
A spokesman for the health board said “it is testament to the dedication of the general public in following the guidance that prevented Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig, Dragon’s Heart Hospital needing to be utilised at the level to which had originally been predicted.
“Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig, Dragon’s Heart Hospital will leave a lasting legacy with the hospital becoming a symbol of resilience and standing steadfast in the face of adversity.”
The key learnings from the hospital have been utilised for the new Lakeside Wing at University Hospital of Wales, with the first phase of the build scheduled to be complete on November 25.
The temporary facility will accommodate up to 400 beds – with an additional 200 beds to be made available across Cardiff and Vale UHB’s other sites, meeting Covid-19 requirements set out by the Welsh Government.
Martin Driscoll, Deputy Chief Executive at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said: “On behalf of CAVUHB and all of the staff and patients we provide services for, thank you for this incredible feat and for enabling us to reassure our communities we were prepared for whatever the pandemic threw at us, the DHH and its iconic place- the stadium has shown us team sport at its very best and this is true of how everyone responded – Diolch yn Fawr, thank you.”
Steve Phillips, CEO at WRU, said: “Being able to offer Principality Stadium to the National Health Service and Welsh Government to assist in the fight against Covid-19 has been a privilege. The Dragon’s Heart Hospital demonstrates the extent of successful collaboration and what can be achieved when people in Wales come together; and I’m extremely proud of the WRU staff who played a key part in the successful development and delivery of the temporary surge hospital within our stadium.”
For more information about Ysbyty Calon Y Ddraig, Dragon’s Heart Hospital and to follow the hospital’s journey visit https://calonyddraig.wales/.
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