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Patients who require treatment for coronavirus will be looked after in the same Nottingham hospital unit as those with cystic fibrosis.

On Wednesday night (March 11) patients at the Wolfson Cystic Fibrosis Centre at Nottingham City Hospital found out the unit is having a partition wall built and that rooms seven to 17 will be used to house coronavirus patients.

Nottingham University Hospitals Trust told Nottinghamshire Live the decision was being made "to ensure safe and timely care for patients" as it deals with the emerging situation around coronavirus.

People with cystic fibrosis experience a build-up of thick sticky mucus in the lungs, digestive system and other organs, causing a wide range of challenging symptoms affecting the entire body.

The condition is caused by a genetic mutation that means cells in the human body are unable to move salt and water around effectively, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

People with the condition are particularly susceptible to lung infections, and as such have to take precautions to avoid exposure to harmful bacteria and other bugs.

A patient at the unit, who wished to remain anonymous, told Nottinghamshire Live: "This decision means that patients with COVID-19 will pass within a few feet of cystic fibrosis patients.

"This will cause great distress and disruption to all of us. We will constantly worry about whether we will catch this virus.



"Whilst we understand that we need to treat the patients with coronavirus why oh why are they being housed in the same building as young adults with a life-threatening illness?"

There are 16 individual rooms at the unit.

The £6.6m Cystic Fibrosis Centre opened in 2014 with the aim to transform care by creating a 'home in hospital', where patients can receive all the treatment they need in one place, but also feel comfortable and ‘at-home’ during the long periods of time they have to spend in hospital.

Dr Keith Girling, medical director at Nottingham University Hospitals told Nottinghamshire Live: “We are taking an appropriate and proportionate response in our planning to deal with the emerging situation around coronavirus.

"This is one of a number of things that we will be doing to ensure that we can continue to provide safe and timely care for our patients.”

As of 9am on Wednesday, March 11, the government's interactive coronavirus map has confirmed that 456 people have been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the UK.

There are nine confirmed cases of coronavirus in Nottinghamshire, with three in Nottingham and six in the county.