THE field hospital set up at Cardigan Leisure Centre to cope with any surge in coronavirus cases is set to stay for the foreseeable future.

A Hywel Dda health authority spokesperson said Ysbyty Enfys Aberteifi is currently in ‘hibernation’ but could quickly be brought online to cope with future cases of Covid-19 or the site could be a ‘multi-use’ facility used for other health-related purposes.

A total of seven temporary field hospitals were converted from council leisure centres, sport and recreational facilities across Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire at the height of the pandemic.

The facility at Cardigan Leisure has yet to be used and still has 48 beds in place. The site was transformed in less than three weeks thanks to a remarkable effort from contractors, local communities, staff and volunteers in a joint collaboration between health chiefs and the local authority.

However, Hywel Dda health authority recently announced that it was returning Llanelli Enfys Hospital and Carmarthen Enfys Hospital back to the control of Carmarthenshire County Council, with the latter being partially mothballed so that beds can be retained in case of a second surge.

It means work will get underway to repurpose the venues back to their original use as two of the council’s largest leisure centres.

But the Cardigan health facility is to remain.

A spokesperson for Hywel Dda said: “The latest position is that the Ysbyty Enfys Aberteifi field hospital, located on the Cardigan Leisure Centre site, is currently in ‘hibernation’.

“However, should there be any further increase in Covid-19 cases locally, the facility will remain available to support potential future needs.

“In the meantime, Hywel Dda University Health Board and Ceredigion County Council continue to work together as part of the ongoing response to the pandemic and preparing for the winter months ahead, with plans for the site to become a multi-use facility e.g. testing asymptomatic patients (someone who does not have symptoms of Covid-19) who are coming into hospital for an operation or procedure, as well as some antibody testing, phlebotomy, vaccination and a one-stop clinic for pre-chemotherapy patients.”

Andrew Carruthers, Hywel Dda’s executive director of operations, said: “From the outset, the biggest challenge that we and our partners have faced has been the need to balance the public health and wellbeing of our communities with the need for our society and economy to return to a form of normality, and as a health board we are pleased that our ongoing planning and response to COVID-19 has given us capacity to be both robust and flexible.

“At the same time, we must emphasise that this virus has not gone away, and that we remain at a high state of preparedness so that we can quickly reinstate beds at short notice in several localities if needed, particularly as we approach the critical point going into the autumn and winter period.”