How Tottenham Hotspur Stadium's NHS facilities will be impacted by Premier League restart

Exclusive: Plans to scale back the clinics are in place but North Middlesex hospital could maintain presence at £1.2billion arena beyond restart

Plans are in place for the NHS services at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to be scaled back but the hospital trust behind the arrangement have indicated that they hope to maintain some presence at the venue beyond the Premier League's return later this month.

North Middlesex University Hospital Trust have been using the facilities at Spurs’ stadium since mid-April, converting a significant section of the £1.2billion arena into gynecology and antenatal clinics along with a drive-through Covid-19 testing facility for frontline staff in the stadium's underground car park.

Steps are being taken for many of those services to be returned to their usual locations but football.london has been told that all options are being explored regarding future usage of the stadium.

While a spokesperson for the hospital said that there is no fixed plan in place, talks between both parties are continuing. The trust is eager to "maintain the best aspects of the changes which the pandemic imposed on us" and they hope to have a firm plan relating to the future in place soon.

In line with other hospital trusts across the country, plans to scale back the "emergency arrangements" had already been formed irrespective of football's planned return.

But facilities such as the testing centre in the basement car park, which is also being used as a storage area for the London Food Alliance, could remain for some time. The logistics around keeping the testing facility open are not as complicated as the clinics above ground, especially with games taking place behind closed doors for the foreseeable future.

However, should Premier League fixtures take place at the stadium from next month, a number of changes would need to be implemented regardless of those existing plans to scale back.

Since April 14 the away dressing room has been converted into a midwives' clinic and the doping control area has become an administration hub.

The flash TV interview rooms were transformed into consultation and scanning areas, while the M-cafe, which hosts media on matchdays, has acted as a reception for the unit.

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All will need to be closed or moved in advance of a game taking place at the venue.

During its peak use around 30 staff have been on-site with up to 70 patients visiting daily.

The decision to relocate was taken to create additional space at North Middlesex hospital in Edmonton for Covid-19 patients while also protecting pregnant women from exposure to the virus by having routine appointments away from the main campus.