The government has today announced a temporary hospital to combat the increasing spread of coronavirus across the nation.

It has also called on a quarter of a million volunteers to join the effort.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "The NHS volunteer response is a new scheme set up so that people can come and help and to make sure the NHS and local services get all the support they can."

The temporary hospital will be called NHS Nightingale and will open next week at the Excel centre in London.

Mr Hancock said there will be two wards, each with the capacity for 2,000 people, and will enlist the help of the military and NHS clinicians to make sure each person with the virus is being treated.

As well as a call for more volunteers to help support health services, Mr Hancock said the call for people to return to the NHS has been 'incredibly successful.'

In total 11,788 people have returned to help combat the spread of coronavirus since the government put the call out.

Mr Hancock said: "I pay tribute to each and every one of those who is turning to the NHS in its hour of need."

With regards to the new lockdown measures imposed by the Prime Minister yesterday evening, Mr Hancock reminded people of their severity.

"These steps are not requests," he said.

The Department of Health and Social Care have said sadly 422 patients who tested positive for coronavirus have now died in Britain.

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