Looking back: Extraordinary effort to build a Nightingale hospital in Harrogate

As 2020 draws to a close, over the coming days the Stray Ferret will look at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events. 

Today, we reflect on the story of Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital. 

Harrogate found itself in the headlines when its convention centre was commandeered by the NHS to create one of the seven national Nightingale hospitals across the UK. 

On March 30 – one week after the first national lockdown began – the armed forces arrived in town to begin the process of constructing a field hospital in the events venue. 

Over the following days, huge volumes of materials arrived, from scaffolding to hospital equipment, with ambulances seen pulling into the car park and officials given tours of the site. 

Only on April 2 did NHS England confirm the plans, revealing the Harrogate Nightingale would offer 500 beds for covid patients.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said it was “nothing short of extraordinary” that the new hospital in London had been set up in less than a fortnight, with support from the Ministry of Defence. 

“The NHS, working with the military, has done in a matter of days what usually takes years. Now we are gearing up to repeat that feat at another four sites across the country to add to the surge capacity in current NHS hospitals. 

“We’re giving the go ahead to these additional sites, hoping they may not be needed but preparing in case they are. But that will partly depend on continuing public support for measures to reduce growth in the infection rate by staying at home to save lives.” 

During construction, the Nightingale became the focal point for public tributes to NHS staff as part of the weekly Clap for Carers. 

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, Harrogate.

Work continued for three weeks before the hospital was officially opened on April 21 by Captain Tom Moore, via a video link. 

On the eve of the opening, two videos were produced thanking those who had helped in its construction. The first was created by Harrogate Convention Centre and Cause UK, while the second was made by hotelier Simon Cotton and actor Neil Granger. 

No covid patients

After the hospital was opened, the district waited to see when the first patients would be admitted. 

However, eight months on, the hospital is yet to treat a covid patient, instead being used to offer CT scans through Harrogate District Hospital. It was confirmed in May that the NHS was not paying rent for use of the site, which is run by Harrogate Borough Council.  

The agreement to use the site was initially for three months to the end of June, before being extended for another month.  

As lockdown restrictions eased, hospitality and events businesses called for a decision to be made so they knew whether the venue would be able to host any of its usual conferences in 2020. 

Negotiations continued and rumours cicrulated until, finally, the NHS confirmed on August 17 that the hospital would remain in situ until next March. A break clause at the end of October was not activated. 

It then emerged that the NHS was paying £126,000 per month to HBC in utilities, and that the total set-up costs for the hospital were £27.3m. 

‘Hand it back’

Even when the decision was announced, there were still calls for the convention centre to be handed back to HBC in order to be ready to reopen when restrictions allow, for the benefit of the local economy.  

Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, who lives in Ripon, has been a vocal critic of the continued use of the venue. 

He told the Lords in October that the venue will not be able to open safely because existing NHS employees are expected to staff it, rather than additional staff being recruited. Labour MP Yvette Cooper backed up this claim in the House of Commons the following month.

Lord Newby has since called for the venue to be handed back to the council, accepting that it will “never be used”. 

A spokesperson for the NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber, however, said the venue was on stand-by ready to be scaled up with “the right mix of skills” when needed.  

Meanwhile, the vaccination programme for the district began just a few days before Christmas at the Great Yorkshire Showground. 

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Covid cases rise by 37 in Harrogate district

A further 37 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district, today’s figures confirm.

The number of positive tests in the last 24 hours brings the total for the area to 4,127 since the pandemic began.

The rate of positive cases per 100,000 people in the district now stands at 93.7, a rise from yesterday’s figure of 86. However, it is still below the average for North Yorkshire of 142.2, and for England of 354.9.

Nationally, data from Public Health England shows that 32,725 people tested positive for covid-19 in the last 24 hours, and 570 people died within 28 days of testing positive.

Five patients were admitted to Harrogate District Hospital with the virus in the seven days to December 20, compared to 10 in the previous seven days. Only one patient diagnosed with covid-19 has died in the district in the last 14 days.

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In line with national guidance, families have been able to spend Christmas Day together within a limit of three households. Tomorrow, rules for tier two come back into force, including no household mixing indoors.

This week, a new vaccination centre opened at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate. Up to 900 people per day could be given the vaccine, with those aged over 80, care home residents and healthcare workers among the first to be invited to appointments.

WATCH: Charity raises spirits with 12 Days of Covid Christmas video

A Harrogate charity is raising a smile with a humorous 2020 take on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Time Together, which supports people with additional needs, has continued its one-to-one support for clients throughout the pandemic.

But its social activities have either moved online or been called off – so staff, volunteers and clients decided to use technology to come together one final time before Christmas.

The lyrics – written by service manager Louise Terzza – make fun references to things which have marked everyone’s years, from social distancing to the hazards of meeting online. Louise said:

“We wanted something to put out to everybody. My daughter is a film maker so she cut it together, I have friends who do amateur dramatics so they sang, and a lot of the staff and clients wanted to get involved. It has been a collaboration.

“People are just very disconnected from each other. We just want people to feel connected a little bit and feel part of it, even though they can’t come into the building.”

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Staff and clients from Time Together

Staff, volunteers and clients are not able to celebrate in person this Christmas, as they have done in previous years

While one-to-one support for clients has continued, the charity’s fundraising came to a standstill in March and has barely restarted. Louise said:

“It has been wiped out. We haven’t been able to do any of our events – we normally do quite a lot in our building, but also go to other events. It has been quite devastating.

“We have been able to apply for some funding and grants, and had some donations from supporters.”

In an effort to bring in some final funds before the end of the year, the charity’s Christmas raffle has been moved online and is proving popular. Prizes including a skincare hamper, vouchers for afternoon tea, goodies from Fodder and a Fitbit are on offer, with tickets being sold online until midnight on Saturday, December 19.

Teen’s sentence for drug dealing reduced ‘in part due to covid in prisons’

A crack-cocaine dealer has been jailed for more than two years for peddling the potentially lethal drug in Harrogate.

Michael Balog, 19, was still on prison licence for previous offences when he was caught with what turned out to be a relatively small amount of the Class A drug in the town.

But prosecutor Lewis Allan Kerr told York Crown Court that the teenager had been street dealing, ostensibly to pay back a debt.

Recorder Tahir Khan QC, who jailed Balog for two years and four months, told him:

“We are talking about the supply at street level of Class A drugs.

“It’s general knowledge that Class A drugs, and the supply of them, cause misery and the courts have to take a hard line on people who involve themselves in this type of conduct, even at the level that you were at.”

York Crown Court

Appearing via video link yesterday, Balog, of Kennion Road, Harrogate, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply. He was caught with the drugs at Cheltenham Mount on October 2.

Jeremy Barton, for Balog, said the teenager had been using drugs himself after being released from his last prison sentence and started dealing to pay off debts. Although Balog had previous convictions, he had none for drug dealing.

Mr Khan QC told Balog:

“You’ve been in trouble before and (the dealing offence) was about six to seven months after you were released from your last (prison) sentence.”

Jailing Balog for 28 months, Mr Khan said he had reduced the sentence that he originally had in mind due to the “powerful” mitigation, the teenager’s timely guilty plea and the Covid crisis, which was prevalent in prisons.

Council director resigns from art festivals board over devolution conflict

The director of health and adult services for North Yorkshire has resigned his role as a trustee of Harrogate International Festivals because of a conflict over devolution.

The Festivals put its support behind the east/west model for two unitary authorities in North Yorkshire, as advocated by the seven district councils including Harrogate Borough Council.

However, Mr Webb’s employer, North Yorkshire County Council, favours a single unitary authority for the county, causing him to stand down from his role as a trustee. Following his resignation, Mr Webb said:

“I resigned as a trustee of Harrogate International Festivals following a board decision to support the east/west local government re-organisation bid by district councils.

“Whilst I am personally a strong supporter of the county council’s bid for unitary status, and believe it is the best way forward, the reason for my resignation from the festivals board was to ensure I avoided a conflict of interest.

“I absented myself from the board discussion on local government re-organisation, so that any conflict was avoided and I resigned once the decision had been taken. I had a series of constructive discussions with Fiona Movley, the chair of the Festivals, and we were both clear that there was no alternative course of action that I could have taken.

“Harrogate International Festivals does a great job and I wish them well for the future.”

Paying tribute to Mr Webb for his long-standing commitment to the festivals, CEO Sharon Canavar said:

 “Richard has resigned from the board in line with appropriate conflicts of interest policies.

“He remains a great supporter of HIF, and we are immensely grateful for his contributions whilst a trustee. There was certainly no animosity and all handled in a positive manner.”

Harrogate International Festivals’ board includes an observer from Harrogate Borough Council. Its patron is HRH the Prince of Wales.

Both CEO Sharon Canavar and chairman Fiona Movley added their names and comments to the document in support of the district councils’ proposals.

The Stray Ferret asked Mr Webb and North Yorkshire County Council for a comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.

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It is not the first time the document has caused conflict because of the names attached to it.

Other organisations to have been included North Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Lisa Winward and Chief Fire Officer Andrew Brodie of North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue. Both were quoted as saying they supported the east/west model for two unitary authorities.

However, a joint statement from both was issued by the office of the police, fire and crime commissioner this week. It said:

“There has been disappointing and incorrect representing of our positions – and it is therefore only right and fair that we have the opportunity to clearly set out our position.

“We lead two of the emergency services which operate across North Yorkshire and the city of York – and work best when we work together across that area. The strength of this approach has been demonstrated throughout this year in our collaborative response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The ultimate decision about which model we may operate under in the future is not for us to take – this is a political decision. Our ongoing priority, whatever the outcome of the current debate, is to continue keeping the residents, businesses and visitors in North Yorkshire and York safe.

Face mask sales support Harrogate charities

Sales of face masks have resulted in a donation of £2,500 to a Harrogate charity this Christmas.

The Brora shop on Prospect Crescent has raised £10 from the sale of every £19 Liberty print face mask. It chose local charities Harrogate Homeless Project and Harrogate Easier Living Project (HELP) to receive the proceeds from the sales.

The money will be used to fund the latter’s Here to HELP covid-19 response service, providing practical and emotional support to people in Harrogate and Ripon who are struggling at home during the pandemic. Anna Woollven, Project Development Worker at HELP, said:

“With many people struggling in the wake of Covid-19, we are seeing lots of people turn to our trusted services. This fantastic donation will help ensure we can continue to be ‘Here to HELP’ those who need us at this challenging time. Thank you to Brora and its customers for their incredible generosity.”

HELP has seen a significant rise in demand for its support during the pandemic, with more than 5,000 calls for help received since March. The charity’s volunteers have assisted with tasks including shopping, collecting prescriptions and phone befriending.

Meanwhile, most of its usual fundraising opportunities have been called off.

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Across the country, Brora’s mask sales have raised £250,000 for charities chosen by each local shop. Victoria Stapleton, founder and creative director of Brora, said:

“So many of our communities across the UK have been really impacted by Covid-19. We felt it was particularly vital to support smaller charities so we could make a real difference to their work.

“Kate Heyworth from our Harrogate store identified HELP and the Harrogate Homeless Project as two charities who would really benefit from our donation. We are delighted to be able to contribute to their frontline work.”

The charity face masks are still available at Brora’s shop in Harrogate or on the website. For more information about HELP’s support services and volunteering opportunities, visit www.helpharrogate.org.uk  or call 01423 813096.

‘Long covid clinic’ opens at Harrogate District Hospital

Harrogate will be one of almost 70 locations in the UK to operate a clinic for people suffering with long-term effects from coronavirus, the NHS announced today.

The long covid clinics will take referrals from GPs for people suffering from a wide range of symptoms, including breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety and depression, after they have recovered from the virus itself.

Hosted by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, the centre will offer specialist treatment from doctors and nurses as well as physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Physical and psychological assessments will be carried out before patients are directed to appropriate treatment and rehabilitation.

NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said:

“The NHS is taking practical action to help patients suffering ongoing health issues as a result of coronavirus. Bringing expert clinicians together in these clinics will deliver an integrated approach to support patients access vital rehabilitation, as well as helping develop a greater understanding of long covid and its debilitating symptoms.”

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Research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed one in five people with coronavirus went on to develop long-term symptoms. Around 186,000 people were affected for up to 12 weeks, according to the research.

The Harrogate District Hospital clinic is one of 18 similar operations which have been launched across the North East and Yorkshire. NHS England has provided £10 million of funding for the 69 sites across the country.

A new national covid taskforce has also been launched by the NHS, bringing patients, charities, researchers and clinicians together to lead the response to long covid, producing information and supporting materials for patients and healthcare professionals, and developing a wider understanding of the condition.

Are you suffering with long-term effects after having covid-19? What do you think of the plans for the new clinic? Get in touch to share your views and experiences: contact@thestrayferret.co.uk.

Club donation to support unpaid carers hit by covid challenges

Unpaid carers will be given extra support through the continuing coronavirus crisis thanks to fundraising by a Harrogate group.

Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club has donated £1,500 to the Carers’ Resource Covid-19 Emergency Fund after completing a virtual ascent of Everest in the summer.

The fund was set up to help unpaid carers facing unexpected challenges during the pandemic, such as replacing broken white goods or paying for emergency heating repairs. After appealing for help, Carers’ Resource was chosen to receive the proceeds of the Rotarians’ efforts.

Rotarian Mike Hammond said:

“During the Covid-19 crisis, Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club have been working hard to help charities that have suffered a huge loss of income. Our members have dug deep into their own pockets to supplement our charity account, but much more is needed.

“We are delighted to be able to support Carers’ Resource in this way and we appreciate the work that the charity does.”

Carers’ Resource said the needs of people being cared for by unpaid relatives, friends or neighbours have increased during the pandemic.

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In September 2020, Carers Trust ran a major survey of unpaid carers across the UK. The results showed that:

Over the last few weeks, Carers’ Resource has launched an advice line for carers to access help, advice and information, as well as continuing to see carers face-to-face in line with covid-safe guidance. Well-being and confidence-building sessions have continued, along with online yoga, quizzes and coffee mornings to combat loneliness and isolation.

Carers’ Resource community fundraiser Claire Macina said:

“The way that the Brigantes threw themselves into raising funds has been amazing.

“Unpaid carers have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic and we frequently get requests for support. At Carers’ Resource we can offer advice and information and we can also support with financial assistance too if need.”

Local charities

The donation to Carers’ Resource was just part of the Brigantes’ efforts this year, which have seen £8,600 raised to give out to good causes. As well as sending £2,200 to Shelterbox for disaster relief efforts and the Rotary Club of Himalayan Gurkhas in Kathmandu to combat the impact of the covid-19 pandemic in Nepal, the group has contributed more than £6,000 to local charities and people in need.

Among those receiving support are Wellspring Therapy, Harrogate Easier Living Project, Supporting Older People, Horticap, Parkinsons UK, Dementia Forward and Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Meanwhile, although its usual Santa’s Grotto in Asda, Harrogate, has not been possible this year, the supermarket is working with Rotarians to put together Christmas packages for clients of the charities the group supports. Brigantes president David Hayes said:

“All this is possible only through the generosity of those who have supported our fund-raising efforts and helped us to give away some £18,000 for Covid relief since the start of the pandemic. I should like to say a very big thank you to them all: members of the public who have supported our new ventures such as the Lockdown Poetry Competition and our virtual trek up Everest; visitors to the Valley Gardens who have given at the Wishing Well; Club members who have made donations including those in lieu of what they would have spent on club meetings and meals; and the families and friends of members.”

For more information about Carers’ Resource, click here or call 0808 591 5939. To find out about Harrogate Brigantes Rotary Club and how to become a member, click here.

Two further covid deaths confirmed at Harrogate Hospital

Two more patients have died at Harrogate District Hospital after being diagnosed with covid-19.

Both deaths occurred on Thursday, December 10, and are confirmed in figures released today by NHS England.

It brings the total number of covid-19 deaths at the hospital to 106 since the pandemic began. The last deaths to be confirmed there were more than a week ago, with one on December 3, two on December 4 and one on December 5

Meanwhile, 17 more people have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours across the Harrogate district. Today’s figures from Public Health England show the new cases bring the total number diagnosed to 3,822 since the start of the pandemic.

The seven-day average rate of cases for the district has dropped to 90.2 per 100,000 people, from 95.1 yesterday. For North Yorkshire, the number has fallen to 102.4 from 104.5 yesterday. It stands at 148 per 100,000 across Yorkshire and the Humber.

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Harrogate school boosts environment by planting 500 trees

A school in Harrogate has planted 500 native trees to help boost the local environment.

Working with the Woodland Trust on its Big Climate Fightback campaign, Ashville College has planted the saplings to enhance existing hedges and establish new ones on the south-west edge of its 64-acre site.

Grounds staff used a mix of hazel, blackthorn, crab apple, dog rose and rowan, which they hope will provide a habitat for wildlife and produce pollen, nectar, nuts, fruit and berries for insects, birds and small mammals.

Ashville’s estates director, Aaron Reid, said:

“We would rather plant hedges than erect metal fencing, as they are attractive, long lasting, store carbon and provide wildlife habitat corridors connecting to the surrounding countryside.”

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It is the latest in a series of initiatives by the school to reduce its carbon footprint. Now, it sources all of its electricity from renewable sources, has solar panels on one of its classroom blocks, and collects rainfall from the sports centre roof to water the cricket pitches.

Green waste is chipped and used as mulch or compost, local contractors are used whenever possible to reduce travel time and support the surrounding economy, and the catering team avoids single use plastic and recycles its used cooking oil into soap and biofuel.

Cathy Price, Ashville College teacher and Global to Local Action in Methodist Schools co-ordinator and the school’s Green Committee lead, said:

“When it comes to the environment and climate change, there is plenty of pupil interaction.

“In addition to the subjects being covered in the curriculum, we have a very active Green Committee which works hard to encourage pupils to think about how their actions can either harm or benefit the environment.

“In the past, the committee has organised litter picking in the Pinewoods and the beach at Filey. The environment is everyone’s responsibility and even the smallest actions can help to make a very big difference.

“We look forward to getting back to larger-scale environmental pupil projects and excursions when government coronavirus guidelines permit.”