Harrogate hospital trust paid £4.9m in compensation claims since last year

Harrogate District Hospital has paid out £4.9 million in compensation claims in the last 12 months.

Figures obtained through a freedom of information request by law firm Legal Expert show Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust made the payments during the period July 2022 to July 2023.

The claims covered medical negligence complaints, which occur when a healthcare professional provides substandard care to a patient that falls below the standard expected of any healthcare professional.

However, the trust said some of the payouts were historical claims and were not necessarily claims resolved within the 12 month period.

In total, the trust paid £4,914,799.05 in compensation payouts. In the same time period, the hospital received 28 new letters of claims.

A spokesperson for the trust said: 

“In the event that the care we provide falls below our expectations or those of our patients, we have procedures in place to investigate what has happened, so that we can learn and continuously improve patient safety.

“We treat a large number of patients across the year and the vast majority are positive about the treatment we provide – the number of claims we receive reflects an extremely small percentage of the patients we care for.

“It is important to note that the compensation figure is not only for claims which were resolved over the 12 month period in question, but also includes payments for historic claims which have been ongoing for several years.”

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Council refuses Harrogate apartment plan

North Yorkshire Council has refused a plan to demolish a former co-working space on Grove Road in Harrogate to build five apartments.

The application was submitted by planning agent David Birtles on behalf of an unnamed developer.

It asked to raze the building and replace it with five two-bedroom flats built over three floors as well as six car parking spaces.

The building was most recently used as the Indieworx Collective co-working space before it closed in 2019.

According to planning documents submitted by architects Architecture One Eight, the unlisted building has “little merit” and a new stone-built structure would enhance the site and improve the Harrogate Conservation Area.

However, Rebecca Micallef from the council’s economic development team raised concerns about the loss of employment space in the town if the development went ahead.

She said: 

“There is a major shortage of suitable commercial accommodation for new and growing businesses across the Harrogate area – this is forcing businesses to relocate elsewhere and is acting as a real constraint to business growth and potential inward investment.”

The council’s assistant director of planning, Trevor Watson refused the plans for reasons including a “fussy” appearance which he said did not respect the traditional surroundings, its size causing harm to the neighbouring property and there being no parking bay or turning area for larger vehicles.

The developer can appeal against the decision.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate restaurant confirms Leeds venue opening date

A Harrogate restaurant has confirmed an opening date for a new venue in Leeds.

Farmhouse, the breakfast and brunch destination owned by Jordan Aspinall, opened in Harrogate four-and-a-half years ago.

It has now acquired the site formerly occupied by ASK Italian on Lands Lane in Leeds.

The restaurant has now said it will open in the city on Monday, September 11.

Area manager Nicole Mangnan said previously that the two restaurants will be run on similar lines, serving customers from 8am to 5pm. 

She added:

“Harrogate has been doing well and we always wanted to open in Leeds.”

Harrogate care group wins industry award

A Harrogate care group has won an industry award after being ranked among the top 20 care providers in the UK.

St Margaret’s Homecare, which is based on Cornwall Road, was given the recognition after being ranked by homecare.co.uk.

The award is based on the home care group’s reviews from the people they care for, plus their friends and relatives.

Ross Kneller, director at St Margaret’s Homecare, said:

“We are humbled and proud to have won this award.

“It’s a testament to the dedication, care and compassion of our care professionals who go above and beyond to ensure that our clients and their families and safe and assured.”

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Harrogate teenager wins double gold at world swimming event

A Harrogate teenager, who is already a British champion, took home two gold medals at a world swimming event last week.

Gabriel Shepherd, 15, represented England in the World School Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and took home eight medals in total.

He came first in the 50m freestyle and the 100m freestyle.

Gabriel also competed in four relay races — winning two more gold medals and two silver.

The Harrogate Grammar School pupil was also awarded male swimmer of the competition.

The event is for athletes under the age of 15, and included over 2,000 contestants from 44 countries.

Gabriel also achieved huge success at the British Summer Championships in July.

He took home another two gold medals for 100m freestyle, with a time of 51:47 seconds, and 200m freestyle (1:54:18 seconds).

Following this, he is now the fastest 15-year-old 100m freestyle swimmer from Yorkshire of all time and the third fastest in the UK for his age group.

The championships is an invite-only event, based on rankings following a qualifying period in which the nation’s top swimmers compete.

Andrew Shepherd, Gabriel’s father, told the Stray Ferret:

“Gabe has had some great success in his speed swimming.

“Although we had our summer holidays in between these events, he had to train every day to maintain his fitness.”

Gabriel began his swimming career at the age of nine and trained at Harrogate District Swimming Club until last year.

He now trains at the City of Leeds Swim Club — one of England’s six national performance centres.

Mr Shepherd said:

“He now trains seven times per week in Leeds, getting up at 4am to train in the mornings before school and leaving 10 minutes before the bell to train after school.”

Gabriel will join the Swim England national youth development pathway next year.

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Stray Views: Valley Gardens rotundas need security cameras

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

A few weeks ago the higher up of the two rotundas in Valley Gardens was vandalised. The floor was covered in what looked vomit and other unidentified residues, possibly food, on the floor and some dark substances thrown up the walls.

The evidence of this is still there and little has been done to clear it up. The floor is also frequently covered in broken glass. This does not make a very good impression. There also used to be three benches there, now there is only one.

The previous council spent money putting up gates outside the Sun Pavilion, preventing people walking through, which are still locked (although the gates are too low to deter vandals) despite promising to review the situation. They also put lighting down the colonnades. 

Surely it would be sensible to put security cameras in both the rotundas to cut down on the vandalism?

Bridget Tayan, Harrogate

‘Simple explanation’ to Knaresborough EV charging points use

The 10 electric vehicle parking slots in Chapel Street Car Park in Knaresborough are reported to be rarely used and take up valuable parking slots in the town centre which petrol and diesel car drivers cannot use.

There is a simple explanation as to why they are not used by EV drivers, which may not be obvious to non-EV drivers or the council. 

The meters are all 7 kWh. This means in one hour the meter will provide 7 kW. A non luxury EV car has an average battery size of 49kWh which is enough to drive 175 miles. Most shoppers might expect to park for one hour which means they could add a whopping 25 miles worth of electricity to their car battery.

In contrast, an ultra rapid EV charging point such as the new ones at Sainsbury’s Wetherby Road branch provides 150 kWh, or enough to fully charge the battery, and the parking is free.

The 7kWh meters fitted by the council are really intended for office car parking use so the battery can be charged throughout the working day. They are not suitable for a council car park. Town centres do need some EV charging points otherwise EV drivers will go to supermarkets. The way forward is to have a smaller number of parking slots e.g. 2 to 4, fitted with ultra rapid EV charging points, with a maximum stay of 30 minutes, and the parking should be free.

Duncan Petty, Knaresborough

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

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Lib Dems criticise Yorkshire Water river health team project

Harrogate and Knaresborough Liberal Democrats have criticised a Yorkshire Water plan to set up a river health team.

The company announced this week it was setting up the department as part of a “joined-up, region-wide approach to river health” across Yorkshire.

Part of the remit of the department is to work with community groups to understand what is important to them and develop a way of working together to improve river health.

Yorkshire Water said it would be recruiting 16 new staff to the team, including an environmental investigation lead, river health improvement manager, river health partnership and community engagement advisor. 

However, local Liberal Democrats have questioned whether it is something the company should have been pursuing anyway.

Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said:

“Is this not something Yorkshire Water should have already been doing anyway?

“It’s hardly surprising that Yorkshire is faced with polluted rivers when the water company responsible for them has not even had a dedicated team to deal with them – all because the water regulator and the Conservatives have let them off the hook. This sewage scandal must end.

“Yorkshire Water must guarantee that the cost of the new team comes from the company’s eye-watering profits, rather than simply making consumers pay to clean up their mess in the middle of a cost of living crisis.

“I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues are calling for urgent reform of all water companies and a new regulator to hold them to account.”

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Andrew Jones (left) and Tom Gordon

However, Andrew Jones, Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, described the initiative as a “positive move”.

He said:

“Most of the focus has been on the operation of storm overflows and household waste and these aspects are incredibly important.

“But I hope in addition to addressing this the team will go further and look at rainwater run-off from agricultural land which is often the largest component of river pollution containing animal waste and pesticides.

“I also would like to see the Yorkshire Water’s community engagement team really educating people about what can be put down drains and toilets safely.  One of the reasons we see discharges from the storm overflows is because the sewers become blocked by sanitary products and cooking fat which have been disposed of incorrectly.

“It’s a big job and it looks like Yorkshire Water are assembling a big team. This is good news for Yorkshire’s rivers.”

Kevin Reardon, head of river heath at Yorkshire Water, said:

“We are committed as a business to playing our part to further improve river and coastal water quality around the region. The health of our rivers is a key national conversation, and we all have a lot to do to deliver investment in the areas that will make improvements to water quality.

“We know river and coastal water quality is a key priority for our customers and this new department illustrates our commitment to doing the right thing and working hard, alongside other stakeholders, as we begin our largest programme of environmental investment since privatisation.

“Yorkshire Water colleagues are passionate about the environment and we’re currently recruiting for 16 additional roles to help complete our team, which we believe will make further improvements to river health in the next two years and prepare ourselves for the next investment period 2025-2030.”

Harrogate’s John Shackleton, 85, seeks co-drivers for final ambulance mission

An 85-year-old Harrogate man is on the hunt for two co-drivers to join him on an epic journey to deliver an ambulance to Georgia.

John Shackleton has bought and stocked 35 ambulances over the last 30 years to provide emergency vehicles and medical equipment to humanitarian organisations in Eastern Europe and beyond.

Now, he’s looking for two co-drivers to join him on his final journey to the Georgian border.

He joked:

“I did actually have two co-drivers lined up; one was my grandson who was offered a gig with his band in New York, which he couldn’t turn down, and the other selfishly had a heart attack!”

Mr Shackleton told the Stray Ferret his only criteria was “to be reasonably good drivers and to be easy going like me – after all, we do live in the ambulance together”.

He plans to deliver the ambulance to a small organisation building a hospice on a farm on the Georgian and Russian border.

It has been praying for an ambulance for years, according to Mr Shackleton.

He added:

“I’m happy to stop and see some sights or landmarks, but people do need to understand that this isn’t a jolly.

“This is humanitarian work — you have to put the hours in.”

Two-week mission

Mr Shackleton anticipates the journey will take anywhere from one week to 10 days to complete. The team will stay in Georgia for about two days before hitchhiking to the nearest international airport to return home.

He said:

“I chop and sell firewood to raise money to buy the ambulances.

“I have one ready to go in Amsterdam – which the co-drivers would also join me in picking up before embarking on the journey – but I have to confirm my passengers before I can collect it.

“It’s a process that takes a couple of days as I set up beds for the co-drivers and areas to carry the food and medical within the ambulance.”

Mr Shackleton began his humanitarian work after seeing news reports revealing the poor conditions of Romanian orphanages following the borders opening in 1990. He was joined by a team of volunteers to install flushing toilets and showers at the orphanage. He said:

“I imagine it will be my last journey — it’s hard to raise the money. But I said my recent few trips would each be my last and that didn’t end up being the case, so it’s a bit of a pinch of salt situation!

“However, I have just been given an order to quit the garage I am using to store my logs, and without somewhere to store the logs I will have to stop selling and that is my main income for the next ambulance.

“I know storage is very hard to find, but it’s worth a try if anyone reading has an empty garage to help me store my logs.”

Mr Shackleton is hoping to leave for Georgia in the next two weeks and is urgently encouraging those that are interested in joining him on the journey to get in touch.

People can register their interest by emailing johnshackleton@aidtoeasterneurope.co.uk or calling 01423 871255.

Click here to find out more about John Shackleton’s previous trips.

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Cow in Valley Gardens was ‘reunited with owner’, say police

It’s the mystery that has been hanging over Harrogate for a week: how did a cow get into Valley Gardens — and was it reunited with its herd?

The story of the cow wandering towards the Magnesia Well Tea Room last Saturday morning is one of our best-read this week.

It has provoked numerous head scratching because Valley Gardens is nowhere near grazing cattle. It has even inspired a poem, which we’ve published below.

Dog walker Lucy Emma Renshaw-Martin spotted the bovine beast when she was taking her usual morning stroll.

The cow heads to the tea room.

 

Police dealing with the incident.

Lucy, who sent us these photos, still has no idea how the cow got there or what happened to it. She left as the police were struggling to deal with the loose cow.

The Stray Ferret asked North Yorkshire Police last weekend for details of the incident. The force finally replied today with a one-line statement saying only that ‘the cow was reunited with its owner’ — leaving the mystery only partially solved.

Poem about the cow

Carole Keegan, a member of Harrogate Writers’ Circle, compiled this imaginative poem about the cow’s sojourn to Valley Gardens.

“I want to break free” sang the Friesian cow

Not to the abattoir just right now.

Aha! A hole in the fence, looks big enough for me

Plenty of Flora and Fauna and of course the magnesia well for a cup of tea

 

It’s strange to be here without the herd

A few pics and police but nobody’s saying a word

Everyone’s looking at me but not even a MOO

Perhaps I should pop over and shout BOO!

 

It’s a mystery how I got here, buts it’s been such fun

I do love Patrica Hodge as Miranda’s mum!

AND an added boost I can manure the roses and plants

Maybe to the onlookers it will be pants.

 

I’ve looked all over and don’t know how I will be taken away

Oh the memories of such a glorious day

Gosh,I know I will put a daisy in my mouth, with a pout

Join the Magic Roundabout….hey Zebedee

Please wait for me!

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Yemi’s Food Stories: A ‘sweet day’ at Bettys Cookery School

Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in last year’s BBC TV’s Masterchef  competition. Every Saturday Yemi will be writing on the Stray Ferret about her love of the district’s food  and sharing cooking tips– please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.  

 

‘Push, push, push; stop and twist’ was the mantra at the end of my day at Bettys Cookery School. Let’s get back to the start of my day so you know how I ended up with a mantra and a tip that you will find useful.

Bettys is a Harrogate institution and thousands of people are welcomed each year for the Bettys experience. As a local, I am not surprised that every guest we have wants to visit Bettys and some repeatedly so.

For lingering memories of your Bettys experience, you can shop at the end of your meal, order Bettys products for home delivery or better still, sign up for their cookery school so you can take that knowledge home with you. 

I signed up for the pastry class which I knew would give me different skills. 

Lisa Bennison, the chef tutor, joined Bettys to gain work experience as part of her training from York Cookery School and never left. She has spent 37 years in different roles with the past 20 years at the cookery school.

She loves teaching basic principles, sharing fail-proof tips on how to get the perfect results whilst encouraging everyone to embrace and learn from any mistakes. 

Our day started with warm chocolate pastries with a choice of coffee or tea before we moved on to the first demo.

The pastry class includes making Bettys signature lemon tart and profiteroles. You learn how to make sweet tart pastry, perfectly roll out your dough, line your tart tin and create your tart cases without any cracks or accidents. You then move on to making the lemon filling before learning about the importance of timing and temperature control to correctly manage all elements. 

Salmon salad

Whilst our tarts were baking, we sat down to a gorgeous meal of salmon salad with garlic roasted potatoes with choice of wine or non alcoholic drinks. The strawberry cheesecake dessert was divine and went well with a hot drink. 

And we were off to the second half of the day after proudly checking out and taking pictures of our lemon tarts. 

Next we learnt how to make a choux pastry, knowing what to look for to ensure we get the perfect glossy consistency to ensure a perfect rise. 

Then came the mantra of ‘push, push, push; stop and twist’. This is how to perfectly pipe out your profiteroles to get the even round shape. Hold your nuzzle down directly on the baking tray and pipe gently moving up whilst thinking of the mantra. 

This easily became a song in my head and we all had a laugh knowing we would be reciting it every time we pipe our choux. 

Off we went to make our choux pastry and then came the piping and mantra with many still a bit scared they would pipe it wrong. My first few attempts were hit and miss but Lisa gave me some tips and using them, I decided to re-pipe all my choux and I was happy with them.

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The crème patisserie and the chocolate ganache were the last two elements that we learnt how to make whilst the choux buns were baking. Other tips include looking for the v-drop of your choux pastry for the right consistency and don’t be afraid to let the choux make contact with the pan when cooking. We are tempted to constantly stir but we don’t need to do that and once it starts to leave a film on the pan base, it’s cooked. 

A great idea for couples

As with all things Bettys, the experience is well crafted starting with a team of people that made you feel welcome, a knowledgeable tutor who loves her job, stunning cutleries for your drinks and meals; plus table setting and food that made you feel like you were in Bettys tea room.

The facilities were top notch with enviable range cookers and adequate work surfaces for all participants. It was obvious they didn’t cut any corners in creating a cookery school to be proud of. 

Participants were across all age ranges, careers, had limited to good knowledge of food and came from as far as London. It was a day to make new friends, learn new skills, surprise yourself with your creations to wow friends and family, enjoy the Bettys experience beyond dining in the restaurant and most importantly take home the skill to occasionally recreate some Bettys signature creations.

A Bettys cookery school experience is a great idea for couples, hanging out with friends or co-workers, a gift for the budding or hesitant cooks in your life and would be perfect alternatives to hen-dos with everyone learning a skill for life. 

The icing on the cake was taking home all your creations after eating the ones made by the chef tutor. 

With classes including three-course meal, chocolate and bread making, patisserie and macarons, there is something to learn. The classes fill up quickly so get booking for a fabulous foodie day. 

Harrogate boy murder: ‘Killers should be named regardless of age’, says campaigner

An anti-knife crime campaigner has called for murderers to be named regardless of age following the conviction of a Harrogate teenager.

Dylan Cranfield, 17, was found guilty of murdering Seb Mitchell, 17, at Leeds Crown Court last week.

Cranfield, who was 16 at the time of the incidentm stabbed Harrogate Grammar School pupil Seb to death with a kitchen knife after a row over a broken mirror at a property on Claro Road.

Cranfield was granted anonymity until the outcome of the trial, when Judge Guy Kearl, the Recorder of Leeds, lifted reporting restrictions on the media.

Seb Mitchell. Picture: Sam Mitchell.

Seb Mitchell

Judge Kearl said he hoped it would serve as a warning to other young people about the dangers of knives.

But Theresa Cave, founder of the anti-knife crime Chris Cave Foundation, said those convicted of murder should be named regardless of how old they are.

Ms Cave, who is from Redcar, founded the charity in 2005 after her son Chris was stabbed to death two years prior.

She said:

“I feel very strongly that anyone who murders another should be named regardless of age or gender if they are proven with intent.

“They should also face an adult sentence from the age of 16 as they know right from wrong.

“Murder is the most heinous crime and should be treated as such.”

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Courts have discretionary powers to prevent the media from naming children to protect their welfare. Such orders remain in place until the child reaches 18.

Judge Kearl said the welfare of children had to be balanced against the open justice principle that says the media should be able to report cases “fully and contemporaneously”.

He said the public interest of highlighting the dangers of knife crime meant it was therefore “in the interests of justice to lift reporting restrictions”.

The court will sentence Cranfield on October 4.