Covid-19: Wigan hotel to house NHS workers during their fight against Coronavirus

The Holiday Inn Express at Martland Park has been undergoing a deep clean since saying farewell to the last of its paying guests on Friday and is now taking in doctors and nurses who will be looking after sometimes seriously ill Covid-19 patients at Wigan Infirmary.

Owner Stephen McManaman said he had done a deal at cost with Wrightington Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust and hospital workers, who can’t go home because of an infection risk to their families, can bed there and get up to three meals a day.

Like the Neville brothers, he has also kept on all his staff at his hotel rather than laying them off, as has been the case with several other employers in the industry.

It’s a major logistical operation, with Mr McManaman predicting that it will provide 2,580 nights to staff per month and between 5,000 and 6,000 meals. Mr McManaman said: “Given the crisis, offering the hotel for NHS staff use seemed the logical thing to do.”

So that there isn’t a drop in staffing levels, should any of the current hotel employees have to self-isolate due to Covid-19, Mr McManaman is asking readers interested in working at the hotel while it accommodates NHS staff to send him CVs complete with addresses and phone numbers to put on file.

Then he can contact and recruit them much quicker if there are employee absentees. Anyone interested in applying for any one of several roles should write to Stephen McManaman, Holiday Inn Express, Martland Mill Lane, Wigan WN5 0LX.