Harrogate care homes near 100 deaths

Harrogate’s care homes have now recorded 99 deaths – five more compared with the week before.

The latest figure on care home deaths is from the ONS and only covers deaths that occurred up to June 26.

It comes as Harrogate District Hospital reports its first coronavirus death for the first time in more than two weeks.

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The figures come on the day Prime Minister Boris Johnson has faced fierce criticism from care home providers after he blamed them for the number of coronavirus deaths.

He said on a visit to Yorkshire yesterday that too many care homes did not “follow the procedures.”

And a government spokesman said he would not be apologising for the remarks, and said the government had “put in place rigorous testing and additional funding”.

Work restarts on £15m care home in Harrogate

Work has restarted on a new £15 million care home specialising in dementia care for Harrogate.

The original plan had been for a completion date of spring 2021 but the developers have pushed that date back to summer.

Vida Court, near RHS Harlow Carr, will be the third care home from Vida Healthcare following Vida Hall in Starbeck and Vida Grange in Pannal.

When it is complete it will house 100 residents in eight self-sufficient houses with en-suite bedrooms and communal areas – such as newsagents, cinemas, and sensory gardens.

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They have provided full PPE across the site with temperature testing stations and social distancing signage to get work going again.

The next stages of the construction are already on track. They are currently installing the external brickwork and concrete floor slabs.

James Rycroft, Managing Director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“Vida Court is a culmination of everything we’ve learned. Our trademark features will be included, such as the self sufficient houses. It will enable us to offer care for residents who are at different stages with their dementia.”

Chris Allott, Senior Contract Manager at Caddick Construction, added:

“We’re very happy with the progress being made on site and the Caddick team has adapted very well to the challenging circumstances.”

Harrogate hospital reports first coronavirus death in more than two weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has reported a coronavirus death for the first time in more than two weeks.

The hospital had not recorded any new deaths for 16 days in a row until today.

That person died on Friday, July 3 and it takes the hospital up to 81 deaths.

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England’s hospitals reported that a further 36 people had died with coronavirus in today’s NHS figures.

Patients were aged between 53 and 98 years old. Two patients, aged 83 and 85, had no known underlying health conditions.

West Park Stray: Green shoots of recovery after months of mud

The West Park Stray has started to turn green again after months of mud. The sight of green shoots will be welcome for many who have missed the space.

Harrogate Borough Council started reseeding work just over a week ago and the results are already starting to show.

The work is set to be complete by September. The council’s leader promised that it will be back “better than ever.”

The Stray starts to turn green

The grass is starting to show.

West Park Stray remains closed off with orange netting around the site. It allows for the seeds to germinate and also for the footpath repairs.

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Overall, the council believes that the works will cost £129,971, broken down into:

The Stray in late April.

The Stray starts to turn green

Most of West Park Stray is turning green.

Yorkshire 2019, the organisers of the UCI World Cycling Championships, has agreed to pay £35,500 to help restore the Stray.

The council’s decision to outsource to Glendale Services was met with fierce criticism from local contractors who said they were “disgusted” they weren’t invited to tender.

It awarded the contract to the Lancashire-based contractors under “urgent circumstances” seven months after the UCI.

Beaches, tipis and coffee: Harrogate back to life on Super Saturday

Harrogate welcomed back pubs, cafes, and hotels with open arms on Super Saturday. Some even queued up for a slice of normality.

Lockdown has been tough on Harrogate’s hospitality sector so they have been anxiously waiting for the big day to arrive.

All businesses have taken extra precautions to make sure the experience is safe but some went above and beyond to draw people back in.

Caffe Marconi reported a line of customers first thing this morning desperate for their coffee and cake fix. Owner Sara Ferguson told The Stray Ferret:

“Everyone’s just really happy to come back and be able to do something that’s a bit closer to what they did before. It’s not what it was before, it has changed, but it’s still us. It’s still our coffee, it’s still our cake.”

Both Cedar Hotel Harrogate and the Fat Badger pub decided to go all out on their outdoor dining experiences. The hotel set up a tipi experience and the pub set up a beach on its doorstep.

Cedar Court Hotel has put up a tipi.

Wayne Topley, the managing director at Cedar Court Hotels, told The Stray Ferret:

“We have been making sure as a business that the customer has a choice. Do they want to check in on their phone, on a touch screen or face to face? They decide.”

Simon Cotton, the managing director at The Fat Badger, said:

“I was stood up here three weeks ago, the sun was shining. I just saw the space and thought it was great, we just needed to get rid of the cars for this beach.”

He also stressed that the beach is not a play pit for children, just a visual backdrop for people to enjoy.

No coronavirus deaths for two weeks at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any coronavirus deaths for two weeks.

It is the longest time since lockdown that the hospital has gone without reporting that at least one of their patients with COVID-19 has died.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

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A further 39 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,871.

Patients were aged between 45 and 99 years old. All patients had known underlying health conditions.

Super Saturday boost for Harrogate BID levy payers

Harrogate BID has given a Super Saturday boost to its levy payers with a match-funded grant of up to £750.

It means that the business can spend up to £750 on signage, barriers, and screens or any other equipment and get a matched contribution towards the cost.

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All levy-paying businesses within the Harrogate BID area are eligible to receive the grant. But it does not include PPE equipment or employee costs.

Harrogate BID Interim Manager Simon Kent said:

“We are acutely aware that many businesses have had to incur costs to enable them to comply with legislation in order for them to reopen safely. To assist with this financial burden, we have set aside £20,000 to provide match-funding.”

The BID gets its funds from levy payers in the town. This will mean that levy payers will get some of that cash back to support their specific needs to reopen.

Last month, Harrogate BID produced packs of social distancing floor stickers and window posters for. It also bought outdoor tables and chairs for pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants.

Harrogate hospital reaches 13 days without coronavirus deaths

For the last 13 days, Harrogate District Hospital has not recorded any coronavirus deaths.

It is, once again, the longest time since lockdown that the hospital has gone without reporting that at least one of their patients with COVID-19 has died.

So far, the hospital has reported 80 coronavirus deaths. The last coronavirus death happened on June 18.

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A further 38 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died in England’s hospitals, taking the total up to 28,832.

Patients were aged between 33 and 96 years old. Two patients, aged 50 and 69, had no known underlying health conditions.

Mass testing reveals higher coronavirus cases in Harrogate district

The number of coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district has doubled overnight after the way in which they were recorded changed.

It was a big shift in numbers as a result of the government adding data from its mass testing programme. Previously it had just included tests in NHS laboratories.

That means that the total cases in the Harrogate district jumped from 325 yesterday to 694 today – an increase of 113%.

Not only that but the rate of coronavirus cases in the district also rose sharply to 432. The rate accounts for population sizes in areas to give a more accurate reading.

The count for each area is divided by the total population and multiplied by 100,000.

Coronavirus cases in North Yorkshire as a whole, in the same period, rose from 1,356 to 2,504.

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With the attention turning to more local lockdowns this data will play an important role in the decisions of officials.

Looking at the Harrogate district in comparison with other areas it is by no means the worst affected area but it is also not completely out of the woods.

Nearby places like Bradford and Barnsley have much higher rates than the Harrogate district. Find the government’s coronavirus map by clicking or tapping here.

North Yorkshire’s Director of Public Health, Dr Lincoln Sargeant, said:

“This reporting change does increase the figures and may make it look as though there has been a big rise in infection rates. This is not the case. It is linked solely to a change in reporting. New cases in North Yorkshire continue to decline, but we must not be complacent. We all need to play our part to maintain this progress.

“People should stay two metres apart, if possible, or at least one metre and if it is just one metre they should take additional precautions. You should also wash your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Everyone in North Yorkshire can play their part in helping us return to normality safely by taking these simple steps.”

Puppy scammers ‘hiding behind coronavirus’ in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police has seen a rise in reports of people being scammed when trying to buy puppies online.

Fraudsters will advertise online and then use the coronavirus restrictions as a reason why the customer cannot see the dog in person.

The seller will then ask for money for the dog as well as vet bills, vaccinations, and other costs. Once the customer has paid the scammer will disappear and no puppy arrives.

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It comes as animal welfare organisations report a surge in interest in puppies during lockdown. That was followed by a surge in prices.

The Kennel Club saw a 168% increase in people searching for puppies on its website since the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown.

North Yorkshire Police has said that buying a new pet is a decision that people should never take lightly.

Kevin Ross, from the force’s fraud and economic crime unit, said:

“Unfortunately the lure of a new canine companion is one which has resulted in several people losing their money to this scam. Purchasing a new pet is a decision that should never be taken lightly. We would urge anyone considering doing so to follow the RSPCA’s guidance.”