Hospital bosses in Harrogate have said a £9 million spend on agency staff this year was “necessary”.

Earlier this week, the Stray Ferret reported that the hospital had spent £4.1 million more than its target spend for agencies this year.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust set a target to spend no more than £473,000 each month on agencies — the equivalent of a maximum of £5.7 million over the year.

The figure covers staffing in areas such as nursing, dental and clinical support staff.

In response to the spend, a spokesperson for the trust said:

“When we experience workforce challenges in our clinical and non-clinical services we will use our bank of nursing staff or the services of relevant recruitment agencies to support staff gaps where necessary. This is an issue faced by all NHS foundation trusts across the country.

“The workforce challenges can be for a variety of reasons, such as when we have vacancies due to colleagues leaving the Trust or being promoted, or staff illness.

“It is important that we maintain a safe level of staff to care for our patients, and this can fluctuate due to circumstance – for instance, over the winter months we generally see a rise in patients with respiratory infections, such as the flu or covid-19, and an increase in the number of patients who cannot be discharged. This will lead to the trust opening more beds to meet demand, which in turn requires additional medical and nursing staff to care for those patients. In such instances, we may need to call on agencies, which can be expensive, but enables our services to continue.

“Whilst the current spend on agency staff across our services is higher than we expected, this has been necessary to ensure we can continue to provide the safest and best possible levels of health care service for our community.”

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It comes as Alex Sobel, Labour MP for Leeds North West and the party’s shadow environment minister, described Harrogate hospital’s reliance on agencies as “a disgrace”.

He told the House of Commons in February that a constituent called Marjorie Dunn spent just over seven weeks at the hospital last year.

Mr Sobel said:

“In that time she saw NHS nurses leave the service and she was treated predominantly by agency staff — mistreated, I have to say, by agency staff. It is a disgrace.

“When she was eventually moved to a recovery hub run by Leeds City Council she got excellent treatment there.

“She had broken her pelvis and been told she would never walk again, but it was the council physiotherapist who got her up and walking again. Is it not right that we should be supporting local authorities such as Labour-run Leeds to get such facilities as well as the NHS?”

A senior North Yorkshire Police officer has criticised the “disgraceful actions” of a Harrogate officer who was convicted of sexual assault.

Joseph McCabe, 27, was found guilty of one count of sexual assault following a trial in February and appeared for sentence at York Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

McCabe was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He was also placed on the sex-offenders’ register for seven years.

District judge Tan Ikram told McCabe that he had given “no credible explanation as to why (the victim) would make up such a serious allegation”. 

Following the outcome of the case, Deputy chief constable Mabs Hussain commended the victim for coming forward.

He added that McCabe’s actions were “disgraceful”.

Mr Hussain said:

“Our communities need to know that they can have complete trust in their police, and that we demand the highest level of integrity from our officers and staff.

“McCabe’s disgraceful actions fell far below that standard. I commend the victim for her courage in coming forward so we could take action. I also hope the case sends a clear message that there is no place for this behaviour in policing – and that we will secure justice against perpetrators, no matter who they are.”

McCabe is currently suspended from North Yorkshire Police. He will appear before a misconduct hearing at a later.

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Valley Gardens in Harrogate is set to host a three-day celebration event for the coronation of King Charles III.

The free event will take place from Saturday, May 6, until Monday, May 8.

It will include live stream of the coronation ceremony on a big screen from Westminster Abbey.

Besides the big screen, a stage will feature a line-up of family-friendly entertainment.

There will also be fairground rides, food and drink stalls, pop-up character appearances, circus workshops and an artisan market in the gardens Sun Colonnade.

Cllr Sam Gibbs, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling, said:

“Valley Gardens provides the perfect backdrop for our three-day event to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.

“There will be rides, family entertainment throughout the weekend, pop-up character appearances and circus workshops. There truly is something for everyone and even better, it’s all free.

“So pack a picnic and come on down to Valley Gardens to mark the coronation.”

For more information on the event, visit the Visit Harrogate website.

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Local voluntary organisations in the Harrogate district are set to be given 17 public defibrillators.

The move comes as part of £22,000 worth of funding from Harrogate Borough Council.

The council, which will be abolished at the end of today, launched a defibrillator grant scheme in January.

Defibrillators provide 24-hour access to life-saving emergency equipment when a cardiac arrest is suspected.

The council has now selected the 17 groups which will receive them.

Cllr Richard Cooper, leader of Harrogate Borough Council and chair of the voluntary and community sector liaison group, said: 

“I am delighted that the borough council has been able to provide these defibrillators to local communities.

“They can save lives, and while I hope they never have to be used, it is reassuring to know that so many are now out there across the district.”

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Dishforth Parish Council, which has received funding for a defibrillator, said: 

“This grant will play a vital part in ensuring our parishioners and members of the public have the use of a defibrillator at the playing field and sports pavilion should it be needed.”

Starbeck Tennis Club said: 

“It is so important to our members and the neighbourhood that this defibrillator is available for anyone who needs access as every second matters in a medical emergency.”

Groups that will receive defibrillators

1.      Dishforth Parish Council

2.      Fewston Parochial Hall

3.      Haverah Park with Beckwithshaw Parish Council

4.      Healey Masham

5.      High Ellington Masham

6.      Knaresborough Football Club

7.      Knaresborough Lions

8.      Knaresborough Forest Cricket Club

9.      Little Ribston Village Hall

10.  Low Burton

11.  Moor Monkton Parish Council

12.  Ripon Community Link

13.  Rotary Club of Knaresborough

14.  Starbeck Tennis club

15.  The Parish Meeting of South Stainley with Cayton

16.  Thornthwaite Scout Centre

17.  Thruscross Parish Council

Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished at the end of today after 49 years of existence.

The council, along with six other district councils and North Yorkshire County Council, will be replaced by North Yorkshire Council from April 1.

The move comes as part of the biggest shake-up in local government since 1974.

It means North Yorkshire Council, which will employ 11,500 staff, will be responsible for all council services in the district, including bin collections, planning, licensing and highways.

The change will also see the district represented by 16 councillors, instead of the current 40 on the borough council plus more on the county council.

Among those councillors stepping down are Richard Cooper and Graham Swift, the leader and deputy leader of Harrogate Borough Council respectively.

‘We will be locally-based’

The new leaders of the unitary council have pledged the new authority will be local, despite being based in Northallerton.

Speaking ahead of the takeover, Richard Flinton, the new chief executive of the council, defended the authority from criticism that it was too remote.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:

“We will have locally-based managers who have a strong understanding of the issues in their areas.”

The authority’s leadership says while one safeguard against parochialism on the new authority would be in its executive members representing communities from across the county, another is by retaining its headquarters in Northallerton.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire Council.

Mr Flinton said: 

“If our headquarters was in Harrogate or Scarborough then there might be more of a concern that we would be focused on that as the council view of the world. 

“Being in a fairly modest market town mitigates against that.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Carl Les, the Conservative leader of the new council, defended the decision to create 90 councillors to cover the entire county – rather than the current number of 319 which cover different councils.

He said:

“Representation by numbers doesn’t work. What matters is if you’ve got energetic people in the cohort of 90. The great benefit of reducing from 319 is that we have saved £750,000.

“I think we’ve got enough members to represent the people and continue the political process. You don’t have to go to a parish meeting to understand what’s happening in that parish.”

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Leeds United winger Crysencio Summerville has been fined for speeding on the A1(M) by Harrogate Magistrates Court.

Summerville, 21, was caught speeding near Ingmanthorpe, near Kirk Deighton, on August 19 last year.

He was fined £220 and endorsed with three points on his licence.

The 21-year-old, of Ackworth, Pontefract, was not required to appear in court.

Summerville was also ordered to pay a surcharge of £88 and court costs of £90.

The Netherlands under-21s international has made 20 appearances for Leeds in the Premier League this season, scoring four goals including the winner against Liverpool at Anfield in October.

He joined the Elland Road club from Feyenoord in 2020.

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An inquest has opened into the death of a 29-year-old man in Harrogate.

Joseph Paul Aaron Morrison, of no fixed abode, died at Harrogate District Hospital on October 30, 2022.

Opening the inquest at Northallerton, Catherine Cundy, coroner for North Yorkshire, said Mr Morrison was “found unresponsive” at an address in Harrogate on the same date.

She said the provisional cause of death was drug related.

Mr Morrison was found with morphine and tramadol in his system.

Ms Cundy adjourned the inquest for a later date.

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Greggs has opened a new shop in Knaresborough.

The shop, in the former Fultons Foods unit on on High Street, has created 10 jobs.

The bakery will stock the usual range of sausage rolls, steak bakes and treats, as well as vegan alternatives.

It will be open from 7am until 6pm Monday to Saturday and from 9am until 4.30pm on Sundays.

The location also includes a heat-holding Nuttall Unit so customers can also purchase hot items such as southern fried chicken goujons and potato wedges.

People will also be able to collect from the store using the click and collect option on the Greggs app.

Shop manager Ash Ishfaq said: 

“We can’t wait to welcome both Greggs fans and new customers to our brand-new shop.”

Gillian Long, retail operations director for Greggs, said: 

“Our new shop in Knaresborough has brought 10 new jobs to the local area, as well as providing customers with a modern, convenient new place to experience their favourite Greggs food.”

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An early 19th century Italian micro-mosaic panel that came to light at a valuation event could make up to £7,000 at auction in Ripon.

The panel depicts the Roman Temple of Vesta and will be presented at Elstob Auctioneers’ antiques sale on Wednesday, April 5.

It measures 23cm by 30cm, which is large for a panel of this type, and is mounted in a broad ornate gilt frame 

The Temple of Vesta was an ancient Roman shrine dedicated to the goddess of the hearth, the remains of which are found in the southeast of the Roman Forum beside the Atrium Vestae.

Serving as the temple of the Vestal Virgins – the priestesses dedicated to Vesta – the Temple of Vesta housed an eternal flame, which represented the everlasting nature of the Roman state. If the flame were extinguished, this would indicate bad fortunes for Rome.

David Elstob

David Elstob, auction house director, said:

“This extraordinary piece was brought along to one of our valuation days in Southport.

“At first glance it looked like a painting but closer examination showed that it was actually a mosaic. The pieces are so intricate that you can hardly see them and the craftsmanship is truly amazing.”

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The panel has a guide price of £5,000 to £7,000. 

More information on the auction and antiques for sale can be found at the Elstob Auctioneers website.

Harrogate District Hospital is braced for further disruption as junior doctors prepare for a 96-hour walk-out next month.

The British Medical Association announced members will strike from 7am on Tuesday, April 11, until 7am on Saturday, April 15.

Junior doctors are walking out in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Both the BMA and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association are calling for a 26% pay increase, which they claim will “reverse the steep decline in pay faced by junior doctors since 2008/9”.

Junior doctors at Harrogate hospital formed a large picket line on Wetherby Road as part of a 72-hour walkout on March 13.

Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctor committee, said:

“It is with disappointment and great frustration that we must announce this new industrial action.

“The government has dragged its feet at every opportunity. It has not presented any credible offer and is refusing to accept that there is any case for pay restoration, describing our central ask as ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unreasonable’.

“Even yesterday they continued to add new unacceptable preconditions to talks instead of getting on and trying to find a resolution.”

A statement from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“We are working hard to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that emergency services continue to operate as normal.

“We are currently developing our plans for the propose action and its impact on our services, patients or staff.

“Outpatients appointments and planned activity may be affected. Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will be re-arranging any postponed appointments as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, and key services will continue to operate.”

You can read the full statement on the trust’s website here.

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