Harrogate hospital ends routine visits to patients

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed it will no longer allow patient visits, except in a few limited circumstances.

The restriction came into force today as part of lockdown measures.

The only exceptions are for visits to patients at end of life; instances where difficult conversations need to take place; patients with physical or cognitive impairment; long-stay patients.

A hospital statement said ‘all of these exceptions will be at the discretion of the shift lead’.

Visitors must wear masks and visors, which the ward will provide.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, told the Stray Ferret it had been a difficult decision that had been debated this week.

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The hospital has also limited the number of visitors to maternity wards to one.

Visiting slots between either 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm will be allocated in the morning by the midwife in charge. Hospital guidance adds:

“If you are attending for an induction of labour your partner can attend with you.

“This is a decision we’ve taken reluctantly because we know how important visitors are and we know how much it means for partners to be present at key stages of pregnancy and birth.

“However, we have to play our part in reducing contacts and minimising potential spread of covid. We hope you understand why we’re doing this.”

Harrogate hospital coping well with covid, says chief executive

Preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed is one of the main reasons for today’s lockdown.

There have been some worrying stories about hospitals running out of beds in the coming weeks but Harrogate District Hospital is in a better position than most, according to the man in charge.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, told the Stray Ferret there was less pressure on critical care at the hospital than in the first wave and so far it was “managing reasonably well”.

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Russell highlighted how relatively few covid patients the hospital has despite the Harrogate district’s soaring infection rate that is now above the England average. He said:

“Our wonderful staff in the hospital and community are doing a brilliant job. Other parts of the county have had more cases of us.

“We have had a lower increase in covid than areas around us and we are still running many routine services.”

Covid wards

Harrogate District Hospital has about 320 beds in total, and about 85 per cent are currently occupied.

There are two red wards — designated wards for confirmed or suspected coronavirus. The wards have about 60 staff. When one ward has more than 15 patients the second one is used. “We chose wards with the highest number of side rooms,” said Mr Russell.

He added that as part of the hospital’s surge plans, it would reduce other activities if the number of covid patients grew significantly and staff had to be redeployed. He said staff with the closest skill set for critical care, such as theatre staff, would be the first to be moved.

Mr Russell said the point at which this happened would be determined by a range of factors, including the overall pressure on critical care rather than a set number of covid patients and so far during the second wave the hospital had not reached it.

It currently has about 15 covid patients compared with 50 to 60 at the peak of the first wave. He said:

“The most important thing is how we are coping overall. And at the moment we are coping well.”

Critical care

The hospital’s base critical care capacity is seven. This can ‘flex’ to 10 and has the capacity for another six to eight patients.

Although there were far more covid patients at the peak of the first wave than there are currently, there were more beds available in spring because the hospital had cancelled most other activities. Mr Russell said:

“We didn’t know as much about the disease during the first wave. We now have new drugs, we manage patients better, we have non-invasive ventilators that allow patients to stay awake as well as mechanical ventilators. We have enough ventilators to cope.”

The hospital hasn’t redeployed any staff to treat covid patients during the second wave. Mr Russell said it ran training sessions to prepare staff for this during the first wave and it planned to run refresher sessions.

‘Right to lockdown’

Mr Russell described the decision as ‘a logical and understandable step’, adding:

“If we look at what’s happening across the NHS more broadly and the growth of pressure other hospitals are experiencing, I think it was a wise decision. The measures that we had in place didn’t seem to be slowing the pressure on hospitals as much as needed.”

Staff under pressure

The trust employs about 4,500 staff, of which about half are based in the hospital. Mr Russell said it had been one hell of a difficult year but he had never been prouder of being part of the NHS. He said:

“There is quite understandably a sense of anxiety. People are tired; they are anxious about what might come because winter is generally a busier time for the NHS. It doesn’t matter how well you prepare you can’t predict the future.”

He said the trust had put in place health and wellbeing support for staff. Currently absenteeism was only about 1.5 percentage points higher than usual, and six staff were off yesterday due to test and trace. Staff are only tested for covid when they display symptoms. Mr Russell said:

“Healthcare professionals are sociable animals. Lunchtime has always been a sociable affair. But staff now have to sit further apart, wearing face masks and goggles. It is’n’t nice. It’s uncomfortable. But they know it’s necessary.”

Visiting restrictions

The hospital is ending routine visits today. The only exceptions will be around vulnerable groups.  Mr Russell said this had been a difficult decision that had been debated this week, and the biggest dilemma was about allowing visits to terminally ill patients. He said:

“People find it distressing not being able to visit people at the end of life and so they will be one of the exceptions.”

Nightingale staff

Mr Russell is also chief executive of the Harrogate Nightingale hospital, which he describes as “an insurance policy we hope we never need”.

But if it is, Harrogate District Hospital may have to redeploy staff. Mr Russell said it had identified 10 or 11 staff of 12 or 13 that could be redeployed. Other hospitals in the region would have to do the same. He said this was part of the hospital’s escalation measures and could result in it having to pause routine work.

‘Difficult to switch off’

Many of us think we have stressful jobs but being in charge of a hospital during a pandemic is something else. “Switching off has been difficult,” Mr Russell admits. He had booked a family holiday to Africa next week. This changed to a trip to the New Forest when overseas travel became difficult. Now, with lockdown, he will be staying at home in Harrogate. He said:

“I get a lot of resilience from friends and family, and I’m lucky to have such a fabulous team around me.”

Yorkshire Agricultural Society faces £2m loss

Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which organises the Great Yorkshire Show, faces a £2m loss this year.

The farming charity, which was founded in 1837, may have to shed staff to cope with the ongoing impact of covid, which has decimated the number of events it can stage.

The society’s income for the financial year ending 31 December 2019 was £11.9m. It has risen every year since 2015, when it was £9m.

But chief executive Nigel Pulling told the Stray Ferret he expected income to be £2m down this year. He said:

“We are looking at reducing our costs and waiting for everything to improve.

“We have about £5m in the bank but we are losing money at a rapid rate.”

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Mr Pulling’s comments further illustrate how strongly the effects of covid on the events and conference sector were being felt in Harrogate.

Last month Harrogate events company Joe Manby Ltd folded after 46 years.

Plans to stage Great Yorkshire Show

The showground usually hosts 700 events a year, with the three-day Great Yorkshire Show by far the biggest.

But Mr Pulling, who has led the society since 2002, said it was operating at “well below 10 per cent” of capacity at the moment.

A rare bright note came yesterday when it was revealed the spring flower show is due to go ahead, albeit with a vastly reduced capacity.

Mr Pulling said the society had been “comparatively well financed” since it sold land to Sainsbury’s for about £15m in the early 1990s.

But an £11m refurbishment of the Yorkshire Event Centre, completed in 2016, put a dent in its finances even though the project had been well received.

Mr Pulling said the first quarter of 2021 “doesn’t look good” but the second quarter was the crucial period for the events sector. Next year, he said, was “up for grabs”.

He said the society still planned to stage the Great Yorkshire Show next summer, adding:

“But it’s too early to be specific about what it will look like.”

The society employed about 100 staff pre-covid. Mr Pulling said this figure had reduced by fewer than 20 due to natural wastage but it had to look at reducing costs further. He said:

“It has been devastating to see the effects covid has had for everyone – and the events industry has been among the hardest hit.”

 

Lockdown ‘at worst possible time for retail’ says Harrogate bookshop

Lockdown will come at the “worst possible time for retail”, according to the owner of an independent bookshop in Harrogate.

Georgia Eckert, of Imagined Things Bookshop in Westminster Arcade, said she usually took a third of her annual takings in the eight-week run-up to Christmas.

Ms Eckert said she understood the government’s need to act but questioned how little time businesses had to prepare for the change.

“It’s come at the the worst time for retail. I know there is a lot of uncertainty but we didn’t have any time to plan for it.

“The government had said for ages there wouldn’t be another national lockdown.”

Ms Eckert is due to give birth in March and had recently extended her staff team from one to three. She said:

“I’m relieved the furlough scheme will continue. I just hope we can reopen in December but even if we can there is a limit to how many people we can have in the shop due to social distancing.”

Ms Eckert said her business would “do everything it can” to survive, by providing click and collect, home deliveries and developing its website.

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Being a former NHS employee, Ms Eckert said she understood action had to be taken to prevent hospitals being overwhelmed. She added:

“Let’s hope business will bounce back strongly but we have to get through this first.”

Andrew Jones MP criticised for lockdown U-turn

Local Liberal Democrats have asked how Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones could support the national lockdown “with a straight face” after recently speaking out against the move.

Mr Jones said on October 20 “a blanket national lockdown is wrong and local interventions are what we need now to tackle this crisis”.

Two days later he said businesses in his constituency were worried about the impact of the district being moved into tier two.

But on Wednesday he is set to vote with the government on introducing a national lockdown from Thursday.

Geoff Webber, the Liberal Democrat group leader on North Yorkshire County Council, who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said:

“How can he roll back from that so soon with a straight face? Foresight is in his job description; seven months on he and his party shouldn’t be waiting until breaking point to respond to the crisis.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to tell MPs today that covid deaths over the winter could be twice as bad as those in spring if the lockdown isn’t implemented.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Jones if he still supported a blanket ban and which way he intended to vote.

Mr Jones once again chose not to respond to the Stray Ferret, although we are aware he has spoken to other publications on this issue.

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Harrogate district recovers from floods — but alerts remain

Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Masham have all been hit by flooding today — and alerts remain in place.

Parts of Knaresborough close to the River Nidd appear to have been the worst affected.

An Environment Agency spokesman said there were no confirmed cases of people having to leave their homes.

However, Andrew Weatherhead, owner of Weatherhead Butchers in Pateley Bridge worked through the night unblocking drains and mopping two inches of water from his High Street shop.

Mr Weatherhead, whose shop opened as usual this morning, told the Stray Ferret he planned to buy some flood gates to prevent further problems.

 

Mr Weatherhead, who finally got home at 3am only to be woken by his house alarm going off at 5.30am, said the town’s river flood defences worked well but added:

“I think there is something wrong with the state of the drains. So many are blocked. We had to unblock them with shovels and sticks and when we did the water went down quickly.”

No other shops in Pateley are believed to have been affected.

Cars moved

Vast swathes of Knaresborough were under water this morning. The area near the Vantage Toyota dealership, close to the River Nidd, was particularly bad.

Kyley Price, a medical administrator who lives in the area, said:

“We are surrounded by water but I’m hoping it wont be too bad. Just the usual clean up to come.

“We got a warning at 5.30 this morning so moved cars etc. We are now just sitting watching TV and waiting.”

Ms Price questioned the effectiveness of the flood prevention measures in the area:

“The water rises and fills the surrounding flood plane and fields faster than ever.”

Ure rising in Ripon

A flood warning remains in place in Ripon for Ure bank and the racecourse.

The government’s flood information service posted at 11.28am today:

“The level of the River Ure at Ripon Ure bank is 3.44m and rising. We expect river levels to continue rising with peak levels expected around 3.61m this afternoon.

“Please avoid using low lying footpaths near local watercourses and plan driving routes to avoid low lying roads near rivers, which may be flooded.”

The water is rising in Ripon.

Many rural roads, including the bridge at Masham, were treacherous this morning.

The forecast is improving but a flood alert is in place for the upper Nidd. The flood information service said at 11.28am:

“Further rainfall is expected on Monday, and river levels will fluctuate through the day. Flooding of low-lying land, roads and footpaths remains possible.”

 

River Nidd flooding set to hit Knaresborough today

The government has urged people to implement immediate flood protection measures in response to expected flooding in Knaresborough this morning,

Following a weekend of heavy rain, much of the Harrogate district is saturated. But some low-lying areas are in particular danger, which prompted the government flood information service to issue a warning at 5.33am today.

The service said flood warnings were in place at Knaresborough caravan park and Goldsborough Mill Farm, Knaresborough.

River levels are forecast to rise as a result of heavy rainfall on Sunday. It added:

“Consequently, flooding of property, roads and land in Knaresborough is possible today. Areas most at risk are riverside land at Knaresborough Caravan Park.

“The River Nidd in Knaresborough is expected to reach a peak level of up to 1.8m at around 9am today.

“Please activate any property flood protection products you may have, such as flood barriers and air brick covers, and stay away from fast moving water.

“Our incident response staff are closely monitoring the forecast. This message will be updated in 8 hours or as the situation changes.”

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Another late night queue at Harrogate Tesco

Just three hours after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced another national lockdown yesterday, a large queue had formed outside the Tesco Express in the centre of Harrogate.

This video was taken minutes after 10pm — when pubs closed — and shows little sign of people conforming to social distancing guidelines.

The same situation arose last weekend at pub closing time.

But with all pubs forced to close from Thursday, further instances are unlikely to be repeated anytime soon.

Harrogate town centre was busy last night, with Halloween many people making the most of a final weekend of the pubs being open.

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10pm queues

The Harrogate district’s seven-day rolling average infection rate is 251 people per 100,000 people, which is the highest of the seven district and borough council regions in North Yorkshire.

It is also higher than the England average of 223 per 100,000 people.

According to government figures, Harrogate west and Pannal has recorded the most new infections in the district in the last seven days, with 43.

The next highest is Harrogate central with 36 followed by Killinghall and Hampsthwaite with 31.

Ripon north and west recorded the fewest new cases, with just four.

A quarter of North Yorkshire care homes affected by covid

Almost a quarter of North Yorkshire care homes currently have at least one covid infection.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, revealed the situation in a bulletin on Wednesday. He said:

“Despite robust outbreak management plans, we now have more than 55 care homes out of a total of 233 with single cases or outbreaks, and three of those now have a very difficult situation with wider scale infection. This is a serious matter, as you will understand.”

The council is due to make an announcement on reopening care homes to some visitors today.

It advised care homes to close during October.

A council spokesman said the announcement was still due to go ahead.

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Mr Flinton reiterated that North Yorkshire’s tier one status was hanging by a thread and that people’s actions now would determine what happened at Christmas. He added:

“If we are to have any chance at all of staying in this tier, and to give us all the best chance of being able to be with our loved ones at Christmas, we need to step up and stand together as a county and we will explain this in more detail over the coming days.

“In my role as chair of North Yorkshire’s Local Resilience Forum, I am regularly asked when all this will end.

‘The answer is unfortunately not as straightforward as the question. In truth, we will need to adapt the way we live for many more months.”

Man arrested in Harrogate after suspected £1,500 shoplifting haul

A suspected shoplifter in Harrogate was arrested with £1,500 worth of goods in his car yesterday.

North Yorkshire Police arrested the man on Leeds Road at about 5.30pm following a report of shoplifting from a store on Cambridge Road.

Officers intercepted a silver car after CCTV operators alerted police.

The suspect’s vehicle was stopped and the driver, a man from the Leeds area, was arrested on suspicion of drug driving and taken into custody.

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He was later released while under investigation.

Investigations into the theft of £1,500 worth of suspected stolen goods are ongoing.