Harrogate District Hospital is spending nearly £1.2m on hiring management consultants to develop a culture of continuous improvement, the Stray Ferret can reveal. 

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) signed a contract with KPMG and Catalysis in March, which will run for 18 months to September 2024. 

KPMG is one of the world’s largest multinational professional services companies, and Catalysis is a Wisconsin-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping healthcare bodies become more efficient. 

The continuous improvement programme, called HDFT Impact, will ultimately involve all 5,000-plus employees, who will be encouraged to share their knowledge with each other and come up with ways to improve the way the trust delivers its services. 

In a statement sent to the Stray Ferret, a spokesperson said: 

“It is our aim to embed improvement at the centre of our culture and operating model so we can provide the best quality, safest health and care services for our patients, children and the community; and make HDFT the best place to work for our colleagues.” 

They added: 

“There is no doubt that a steady stream of improvements, both big and small, can have transformational results.” 

In recent years, KPMG and Catalysis have together worked with 16 NHS trusts, including Western Sussex, which became the first non-specialist trust to be rated outstanding in all areas by the Care Quality Commission. 

In other cases, one trust saved £800,000 in theatre efficiencies, one increased surgeries per list by 25%, and another reduced falls among patients by 60%. 

The spokesperson said: 

“Continuous improvement is not a new concept at HDFT. It has been integral in helping us to develop our services and bring improvements for patients and colleagues for a long time – we have been using a lean quality improvement approach for over 10 years.

“We know this approach works and we’ve seen the improvements it can bring for patients and colleagues.” 

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The HDFT Impact programme is being funded from the trust’s budget to procure and implement a new electronic patient record system.

The spokesperson said: 

“Our EPR project is not just about providing an electronic system, but is an improvement programme enabled by technology to give our staff the opportunity to improve across the whole organisation.” 

In May, it was reported that management consultants were being paid up to £3,000 a day for work within NHS England. At the time, Onay Kasab, national lead officer of trade union Unite, said the health service was being “plundered by private sector profiteers”. He added:

“The money would be much better spent providing a proper pay rise for NHS staff to end the recruitment and retention crisis that is crippling health services.”

HDFT’s deal with KPMG and Catalysis is costing the trust about £2,200 per day for the duration of the 18-month contract.

Asked if there had been any opposition or resistance from hospital staff to the hiring of external consultants, the spokesperson said: 

“As an organisation, the majority of our colleagues are receptive to continuous improvement.

“Cultural change can be challenging, and a small number of people may be sceptical, but we believe that developing our continuous improvement programme is vital in our pursuit of excellence so that we can raise quality, reduce costs, explore better ways of delivering our services, and provide the best possible healthcare for those who need it.

“We hope that as the programme progresses and staff engage in it, all of our staff will recognise the huge benefits.” 

The number 36 bus between Leeds and Ripon via Harrogate is to run every 10 minutes again from next month, the Harrogate Bus Company has confirmed. 

The service had been running less frequently due to the four-week closure of the Grade II* listed Harewood Bridge for essential maintenance works, which are due to end on Thursday, August 24. 

The timetable change is one of several announced by the bus company, all of which will come into force on Sunday, September 3. 

The schedule for the number 1 bus between Harrogate and Knaresborough will be changed slightly to improve reliability, although the frequency will remain the same. 

On the number 2 service between Harrogate and Bilton, there will be minor changes to departure times from Knox into Harrogate. 

Some afternoon departures on the number 8 bus between Harrogate, Knaresborough and Wetherby will have new times. The 4.21pm from Knaresborough to Wetherby will run at 4.41pm, the 4.55pm from Wetherby will run at 5.15pm and the 6pm from Harrogate will run at 6.15pm. There are no changes to Saturday the service. 

There will also be some changes to the 620H (Dacre to Rosset School), 720H (West Tanfield to Ripon schools), S2 (Bilton to Rosset School), S3 (Penny Pot to Rosset School), S6 (Bilton to Rosset School), S8 (Woodlands to Harrogate) & S36 (Ripon to St John Fisher) buses to ensure the services run reliably and meet the school starting and finishing times. 

New timetables will be available to download soon from the Harrogate Bus Company website. 

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Flats being built on the site of the former River Island premises in Harrogate town centre are due to be completed in spring next year, the agent has said. 

Work on the 14 one- and two-bed apartments at Trinity House, opposite Primark on Cambridge Street, began in June, and estate agent Preston Baker is now inviting expressions of interest. 

Cathy Evans, head of land and new homes at Preston Baker, said: 

“The Trinity House website only went live on Monday, and we’ve already had some enquiries.

“We’re expecting the apartments will be completed by spring 2024, but we’re hoping to be able to go live to market around the end of this month or the beginning of September.” 

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Work at the site includes the construction of a roof extension and central courtyard overlooked by the apartments’ balconies, as well as eight parking spaces. 

The property is owned by a Santander pension fund and is being developed by Doncaster-based Swan Homes.  

Trinity House was named after Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, in recognition of the property’s location on Cambridge Street. The University of Cambridge is the alma mater of Tariq Shah, director of Swan Homes’ parent company, Vigo Group. 

Yorkshire Water has been criticised on social media, after a scene in its new promotional video was found to have been filmed a little way outside the county – in Russia. 

The film was supposed to promote the utility company’s campaign urging customers to save water, but that message was drowned out by a deluge of criticism from viewers who complained that the traditional Yorkshire pub had been replaced by a bar in Sochi.  

Worse still, the majestic fells and dales of Yorkshire Water’s catchment area had been usurped by the Malvern Hills in Herefordshire. Other stock footage is believed to have been shot in Ukraine. 

Yorkshire Water said it had removed the advert from its social media channels. 

A spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:  

“We recently shared a short teaser video for our new ‘word of mouth’ social media campaign to promote water saving. Unfortunately, it was shared before we’d had chance to do our normal checks on it and the stock footage that had been used didn’t capture the spirit of Yorkshire.  

“Once we were aware of the mistake, we immediately took the video down. The ‘word of mouth’ video series all contain Yorkshire residents talking about their water saving tips, and footage of our wonderful county.” 

Asked about rumours that its next video, billed as featuring Harrogate residents, would instead showcase citizens of Hamburg, the spokesperson added: 

“We’ve just posted our first video in the series on our Facebook page about some neighbours in Wetherby and the Harrogate one will be published in a few days.”

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A Harrogate taxi company is to be renamed after being acquired by a growing York-based firm.  

Elite Taxis, which is based on Claro Road, came under new management on Monday, when it was bought by York Cars Taxis, and will be rebranded as Dash within the month. 

York Cars is one of York’s biggest taxi companies, with 15 locations in the area, and Elite’s 30 drivers brings its fleet to around 200 cars. 

Manager Billy Iqbal told the Stray Ferret: 

“When we bought York Cars in 2014, we had 15 drivers, and that increased more than tenfold over the next nine years.

“We did it by providing a great service to the people of York, and now we’re looking to expand and provide a great service to people in Harrogate and the surrounding area. Ultimately, our aim is to expand across Yorkshire, into Leeds and West Yorkshire too.” 

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Dash will provide a 24-hour-a-day service, and customers will be able to book by phone or via the Dash Request A Ride app, which is free to download on Google Play or Apple Store. Payment can be made by card, Google, Apple Pay or cash. 

York Cars Taxis now intends to enlarge its fleet and is recruiting new drivers in Harrogate and York to meet demand. Drivers’ rent is charged at 15% and capped at £75 regardless of takings. 

After days of rain, spectators were granted a day of sunshine for the 50-over Roses cricket match in Harrogate today. 

Any game between Yorkshire and Lancashire is likely to be hard-fought, but this one is a warm-up for the forthcoming Metro Bank One-Day Cup 50-over competition.

The priority for both county second teams at Harrogate Cricket Club‘s St George’s Road ground is practice. 

Lancashire coach Karl Krikken said the outcome of the match didn’t matter.

Lancashire second team coach Karl Krikken told the Stray Ferret: 

“It doesn’t matter about the outcome today – this is just about getting the lads some overs.

“Winning’s always nice, but it’s not the most important thing today.” 

Lancashire will face Essex at Sedbergh when the One-Day Cup starts next week. 

Assistant coach James Lowe was confident of Yorkshire’s mix of youth and experience.

In the home camp, assistant coach James Lowe said: 

“We’ve got some good players – Dom Bess, Harry Duke, Will Luxton and Ben Mike – as well as a couple of young players from the academy, so we’ve got a nice mix of youth and experience. 

“It’d be nice to get a win, especially against Lancashire, but whatever happens, it’s sure to be a good game.” 

Yorkshire will play Cheshire in the 50-over competition on Sunday. 

Kit Turnbull (left) had brought along his children (l to r): Kit, Caspar, Elsa and Ava.

As the players practised ahead of the 11am start, Harrogate resident Kit Turnbull was settling in on the stands with his children: Caspar, 12; Elsa, 14; and Ava, 16.

He said: 

“I’m here mostly as an accompanying adult for Caspar, who plays cricket at Bilton. For the girls it’s just something different to do on a nice day – and it’s free.

“For Caspar, this acts as kind of a benchmark. You can watch the cricket on TV as much as you want, but it’s different in person. Just to see the speed they bowl the ball at, you get a real appreciation of it when it’s right there in front of you.

“My only concern was the weather, but it’s looking OK. We’ve got our packed lunch with us, so we’ll be here all day.”

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• How Pateley Bridge man won two league titles with Leeds United
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Decision-makers from across the district’s business community will be given the key to boosting their online impact this autumn, at the Stray Ferret’s first ever Digital Marketing Conference. 

The free, day-long event will include expert speakers from across the industry, addressing topics including paying to boost social media posts, increasing sales and measuring return on investment. 

The day will be compered by the Stray Ferret’s founder, Tamsin O’Brien. She said: 

“If you’re in business, you cannot afford to ignore the power of digital marketing – because you can be sure your competitors won’t. But many of us weren’t born to it, and for some, it’s completely unknown territory – and that’s where the experts come in. 

“Fortunately, we have a lot of them right here in our district – there’s a lot of know-how in Yorkshire – so we’re bringing together some of the best for the very first time.  

“The Stray Ferret Digital Marketing Conference is a must for anyone in business who’s serious about raising their profile, developing their reputation, engaging customers, or increasing sales.” 

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Tamsin, who was formerly head of BBC Yorkshire, will also be hosting a Q&A session with media-savvy local businesses including: The Glam Hut and Best Kept Secret 

The speakers are scheduled for half-hour sessions and visitors can see as many as they like throughout the day.  

The Stray Ferret’s first ever Digital Marketing Conference is sponsored by the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub and Yorkshire law firm Ison Harrison. It will take place on Thursday, September 28 at Pavilions of Harrogate, from 9.30am. 

For a full schedule of speakers and sessions, and to register for a place, go to our dedicated Digital Marketing Conference page. 

Residents of south Harrogate have been left “disappointed”, “shocked” and “upset” by the fencing off of a large section of the Great Yorkshire Showground, making it inaccessible to the public. 

The area, a 41-acre green space between the Yorkshire Event Centre and Hookstone Beck, has long been a popular place to go for a stroll and walk the dog, but the site’s owner, the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS), has decided to use it for grazing sheep instead.

Since the weekend, most of it has been lined with stakes and barbed wire to create stockproof fencing, and work is ongoing.

Jill Burrell, who lives in the nearby Saints area, told the Stray Ferret: 

“I’m just upset. There’s no point in taking a dog there anymore if you’ve just got a concrete walkway to go on. I just think they don’t want dog-walkers there. 

“It’s so sad. I’d always thought we were blessed to have it, because it’s such a lovely place to go.” 

The 41-acre green space has long been a favourite spot for dog-walkers from the surrounding area.

Reader Sarah Millett contacted the Stray Ferret to say the move had “taken away” a benefit that previously compensated residents for putting up with the disruption caused by events at the showground.

The Great Yorkshire Show, for example, attracts about 140,000 visitors over a four-day period every summer, often causing long tailbacks on the town’s roads.

This was a view echoed by Jackie Mahon, who walks her dog at the showground up to three times a week. She said:  

“I’m shocked. I sort of assumed that the space was accessible in recognition of the chaos that Harrogate residents suffer when the Great Yorkshire Show is on, and other shows throughout the year. It’s going to cause a lot of anger in Harrogate. People will be very disappointed.” 

She added:  

“I appreciate the YAS might need some money, but it’s the extent of it that seems over the top. There has been no warning that I am aware of.” 

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Charlie Cudworth, who walks his dog in the showground fields twice a day, contacted the Stray Ferret and said: 

“These fields have been used for over 15 years by tens of thousands of families, walkers, dog-walkers and children for exercise and staying mobile. We have walked there as our children grew up when we moved to the vicinity 10 years ago. 

“This has been done without any communication to the local community and seems a very unnecessary, given it is only used once a year at the moment! It also seems a pole in the eye for the local community who put up with the annual disruption to parking and traffic without complaint.” 

A sign put up by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society shows where the public may still walk, but all the paths skirt the edges of the green space. Photo: David Greaves.

The YAS told the Stray Ferret that appropriate signage was in place to direct the public, and access to public footpaths and bridleways remained unchanged, although the map it posted on a walking route did not appear to include a concrete path running through the middle of the site (as seen in our main picture).

In a statement, Allister Nixon, CEO of the YAS, said:

“The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is a charity which supports and champions agriculture. The Society owns the Great Yorkshire Showground where we will soon be turning some of the land, formerly the golf course, over to grazing for sheep.

“Although the area will be in use by livestock, we continue to welcome the public to use kilometres of signed permissive routes and designated footpaths across our land and we thank the community for their support.”

A star of the antiques world will be in Harrogate next week, signing copies of his book, Romp with the Georgians. 

David Harper, who has been a resident expert on the BBC’s Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt, will be spending the day on Montpellier Mews, filming in Antiques on High and interviewing some of the dealers who have cabinets or space within the store.

He has previously made promotional videos at the company’s other antique centres in Oxford, Sidmouth, Taunton and Bowness-on-Windermere. 

Vincent Page, director of Antiques on High, said: 

“I had an idea a while ago that we should try and find someone almost like a social media influencer to help us promote the brand, and David’s unique brand of fly-on-the-wall ‘film it as it is’ style of documentary works very well for us. He has such a relaxed way about him that just about anyone will talk to him, which all makes for very real, honest videos.” 

Antiques on High opened in June, after it took over Montpellier Mews Antiques Market. It rents display cabinets to antiques traders, who must commit to working in the centre for three days a month. But they may also rent an additional cabinet in any of the company’s other centres for £10 a month, plus an extra day’s work. The business will transport their stock to whichever centre it is to be sold in.

Mr Page added:

“As the centre is set to expand its stock list, a watch dealer moves in later this month and confirmed dealers taking up cabinets include a coin dealer, model car dealer and book dealer, with more to follow. The opportunity to have their stock transported to any one of the four other stores within the company, including the popular Bowness-on-Windermere store, at subsidised rates only goes to reinforce the potential for dealers.”

David Harper’s book, Romp with the Georgians, takes a lighthearted look at the Georgians, unearthing some weird and wonderful facts about the period, which started in 1714 and ended in 1837.

Read more:

• Harrogate antiques centre taken over by ‘largest player in the market’
• Antique safe stolen from Harrogate
• Sneak Peek: New women’s shoe store opens on Montpellier today

Pupils and staff at a Harrogate primary school will be saying a sad farewell on Friday, when their headteacher retires after 15 years at the helm. 

Dr Helen Davey has led Willow Tree Community Primary School since it was created.

Before that, she was headteacher of Wedderburn Infant and Nursery School, which merged with Woodlands Community Junior School to form Willow Tree in 2011. 

James Hughes, deputy headteacher, said: 

“Helen has been a wonderful headteacher to work for. She has always put the children first and created a truly inclusive community school. She has impacted so many children’s lives, having led the school for 15 years and we know that she will be sorely missed by children, staff and parents alike.  

“From everybody at Willow Tree, we would just like to say the biggest thank you to a very special person and we hope you enjoy your retirement.” 

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Dr Davey, who first wanted to be a teacher when she was just five years old, completed her Doctorate in Education through Durham University in 2016, having previously obtained her Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Chichester. 

She said:

“I would like to thank the staff, parents and most importantly the children who I have worked with over the past 15 years at Willow Tree. We are a great team and I will miss them all.” 

Willow Tree, which has about 540 children on the school roll, is now a member of the Northern Star Academies Trust, which also includes Harrogate High School, Hookstone Chase, New Park and Starbeck primary schools in Harrogate, Skipton Girls’ High, Greatwood Community Primary in Skipton, and Holycroft and Eastwood primary schools in Keighley. 

Jenn Plews, CEO of the Northern Star Academies Trust, said:

“Helen has made a lifelong contribution to education, influencing the lives of thousands of children across Harrogate and Craven. She can be proud of what she has achieved. We wish her well with her retirement.”