A Harrogate mother has said the government’s covid test and trace system is broken after she spent two days trying to book a test.

Madeline Smyth endured several fruitless hours yesterday and Monday regularly refreshing the NHS website and dialling the 119 test and trace phone line to arrange a check for her daughter Caitlin, 16, who had a persistent cough.

Ms Smyth finally secured a slot at a site in Burnley, which is a two-hour round drive from Harrogate.

She was fortunately spared the trip because the government’s mobile testing centre happened to be in Dragon Road, Harrogate, yesterday.

On her second visit to the centre, staff provided a test kit even though they said they were only supposed to help people who had managed to book online to be seen there.

Ironically the centre itself appeared quiet because, Ms Smyth suspects, people were unable to get the online booking system to work.

Ms Smyth, who has post-viral fatigue, said:

“It angers me to see people on the telly say there are plenty of tests available. There may well be but the system to access them is broken.

“We were at the Dragon Road site for 35 minutes and only saw two or three cars turn up. Seven or eight people working there were sitting around waiting for cars to turn up.

“The staff themselves were very nice and helpful and I think we only got a test because the poor girl we spoke to took pity on me because she could see I wasn’t fit to drive to Burnley and my daughter was showing covid symptoms.”

Caitlin, who attends Rossett School in Harrogate, and her brother Oliver, 12, are isolating at home pending the test result.

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Ms Smyth suspects her post-viral fatigue is a legacy of covid contracted last winter, which contributed to her relinquishing her role as a teacher at Nidderdale High School. She added:

“I was lucky because I am not working now so I was able to spend two days searching for a test. It was exhausting and stressful but there must be hundreds of working mums in the area with kids that have covid symptoms who don’t have the time to go through this.”

Ms Smyth said schools should be issued with test kits that can be given to children as soon as they develop symptoms.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said:

“NHS test and trace is working, we are processing a million tests a week but we are seeing significant demand for tests, including from people who do not have symptoms and are not otherwise eligible.

“Anyone with an appointment will not be turned away, new booking slots and home testing kits are made available daily for those who need them and we are targeting testing capacity at the areas that need it most, including those where there is an outbreak, and prioritising at-risk groups.

“We recently announced new facilities and technology to process results even faster. If you do not have symptoms and are not eligible to get a test you should not be coming forward for one.”

A spitfire will fly over Harrogate District Hospital this morning as a special thank you to the NHS.

The plane set off from Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire at 10am and is expected to reach Harrogate at around 10.50am.

Harrogate missed out in the spitfire’s last journey in July but today’s flypast is intended to thank hospital staff for their coronavirus efforts.

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Steve Russell, the chief executive at Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“For my colleagues who are able to they may wish to pop out to see the NHS spitfire pass over as a mark of thanks to every single member of the team, and all other key workers without whom we could not have played our part.”

The plane has been painted for the occasion with the words “Thank U NHS” under its wings and also bears the names of nominated NHS workers.

The Aircraft Restoration Company, which is behind the project, has raised more than £80,000 for NHS Charities Together, a federation of 250 charities that support the NHS, with flypasts since July.

The blue spitfire PL983 nicknamed ‘L’ was built for photo reconnaissance in the 1940s and has an interesting history. Lettice Curtis, a famous female pilot, once raced the spitfire, which now carries her name alongside those of the NHS workers.

Police arrested three men in Harrogate yesterday after plain clothed officers intercepted a suspected drug deal.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police made the arrests after they were on patrol in the Montpellier Hill area.

After stopping and searching three men, they recovered a large amount of suspected heroin and cash.

Three men from Harrogate, aged 37 and two aged 45, were arrested on suspicion of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply. One 45-year-old was also arrested on suspicion of possessing criminal property.

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The suspects have been released while under investigation.

Police also seized 30 wraps of suspected heroin, £600 cash and a number of mobile phones and scales in the region as part of the investigation.

Detective Constable Tom Barker, who works on the force’s Operation Expedite team, said: 

“We continue to focus our efforts on the disruption of county lines drugs gangs, focusing on safeguarding those most vulnerable in society and making life difficult for the criminals who choose to exploit them.

“Yesterday’s action is one example of the relentless work going on to target drugs and the misery it brings to our communities. We urge anyone with any information about drug dealing to contact the police or Crimestoppers anonymously. We will take action.”

Police have issued an appeal after a member of the public assisted police officers at the scene by pointing out discarded, suspected drugs.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101 and ask for Harrogate CID. Or pass information to the Force Control Room for incident number 12200161830.

Harrogate has the highest number of smokers in North Yorkshire, according to government figures.

Vaping company Vape Club analysed Public Health England data which revealed that 14.4% of adults living in the Harrogate district are smokers, above other districts in the county and the national figure of 13.9%.

One tobacconist in Harrogate told the Stray Ferret a trend towards different kinds of smoking could be behind the statistics – along with the coronavirus crisis.

James Barber has a shop on Cold Bath Road and told the Stray Ferret that his sales have doubled since lockdown. He said this is because smokers have not been able to travel abroad where they would usually buy cheaper cigarettes or rolling tobacco.

Mr Barber moved the shop to Harrogate from Otley last year and said there is a “phenomenal trade” in the town for expensive cigars.

He has also seen a rise in young men in their 20s who are becoming bored with vaping, and instead have moved on to smoking tobacco pipes. He said the pipe has been “reinvented” from the days of it being an old man’s pastime.

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The government introduced the indoor smoking ban in 2007, plain packaging for cigarettes in 2017, banned menthol cigarettes this year and has an ambition for the UK to be “smoke free” by 2030.

According to Public Health England, smoking is the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in England, with about half of all lifelong smokers dying prematurely, losing on average around 10 years of life. In 2016 alone, there were around 78,000 deaths attributable to smoking, representing 16% of all deaths across the UK.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire County Council’s Living Well SmokeFree service said:

“When you quit smoking, it reduces your risk of illness, disability or death caused by cancer, heart or lung disease. It will protect the health of the people around you by reducing their exposure to secondhand smoke. It will also save you money – the average smoker saves £150 a month when they quit.”

But Mr Barber said some people in Harrogate are still smoking “because they don’t like being told what to do by the government”.

He added:

“I would never say smoking is good for you and I wouldn’t like my children to start smoking, so I can fully understand the government wanting everyone to stop smoking.

“But I don’t know where they will get the money to pay for tax. Smokers pay billions into the kitty. It’s gone a little bit over the top. We know it’s no good for us but it’s down to personal choice, at the end of the day.”

A plaque in honour of organ donors has been unveiled on behalf of the Harrogate Network for Organ Donation Support in the town’s Valley Gardens.

The group was formed to offer support to those waiting for a transplant or following the procedure, as well as their families.

The plaque is in recognition of donors and their families for giving the “gift of life”. Following the new opt-out system the group hopes more people will be able to receive organs.

One of the group’s founding members, Kerry Morrison, whose daughter Lynda received a heart transplant 25 years ago, said:

“The plaque is going to be a lovely place for donor families and recipients to come and reflect – it’s somewhere really special. I think it’ll become a focal point for recipients.

“The support group is there to help with the shock that comes from needing a transplant.

“I hope the plaque will stimulate the need to talk about donation with families to learn if it is something they agree to.”

It is hoped this plaque will give donor families and recipients somewhere to come and reflect.

The plaque has been mounted onto a lime tree above the playground in Valley Gardens. The Mayor and Mayoress of the Harrogate Borough, Stuart and April Martin, were invited to unveil the plaque to group members and families.

Read more:

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David Kinder, a heart transplant recipient and member of Harrogate NODS, said:

“I was very nervous before my transplant and it would have been good to know there was a group such as ours. I’ll be going there on the anniversary of my transplant, I need somewhere to thank my donor.

“Most people might want to donate but never got round to it, but now you’re in until you opt out and hopefully that’ll be fantastic for people on the waiting list.”

Harrogate Grammar School revealed today that a pupil has tested positive for coronavirus.

The school said it had identified 45 other students who have been in close proximity to the pupil and told them to stay home for 14 days to isolate.

It did not confirm which year group had been affected.

But it said its safety measures had prevented any teachers needing to isolate.

A spokesperson from Harrogate Grammar School, said it had acted on advice from North Yorkshire County Council, adding:

“We can confirm that we have a positive case of covid in our school community. All parents have received a letter.

“We can’t confirm which year group the student is in as that is confidential. Due to year groupings and fixed seating plans for each class we have been able to identify those in close proximity and this in turn has meant the whole year group bubble has not had to self-isolate.”

Read more:

• North Yorkshire’s rate of cases stays below national average. 
• Harrogate hospital says it will increase the number of tests available for staff. 

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, North Yorkshire County Council’s director of public health, said:

“We expect from time to time there will be positive cases affecting teachers, parents or pupils. This may be reflective of the background increase in cases across North Yorkshire. We will work with each school individually to determine the best approach to take depending on the circumstances.

“If you haven’t been contacted by the school, then your child is not a contact of the person who has tested positive and can continue attending school as normal. Please only get a test if you have symptoms or are instructed to by contact tracers.”

Harrogate District Hospital is to increase the number of coronavirus tests for staff amid concerns some NHS employees are being forced to miss work to self-isolate because tests aren’t available.

NHS Providers, which represents English hospital trusts, said today there were clear capacity problems with the testing regime.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said trust leaders from Bristol, Leeds and London had all raised concerns that a lack of testing availability had led to greater levels of staff absence. He added:

“The problem is that NHS trusts are working in the dark – they don’t know why these shortages are occurring, how long they are likely to last, how geographically widespread they are likely to be and what priority will be given to healthcare workers and their families in accessing scarce tests.”

A spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said it had its own staff testing facility and that any staff member required to have a test had received one. He added:

“We’re continuing to monitor demand for testing. In line with recent general increases in demand, we are in the process of extending our staff service to ensure we have capacity going forward.”

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A new Harrogate charity has set up with the ambitious goal of breaking the stigma around second hand school clothes.

The Village Harrogate held its first ever “Uniform Swap Shop” this month where parents can pick up clothes for their children.

As well as taking new clothes, parents can also donate their children’s old school uniforms. The clothes are bundled up in bags and the volunteers all wear protective visors to keep families safe.

Jessica Price, the manager at The Village Harrogate, told the Stray Ferret that the charity has been inundated with requests:

“It was great to meet so many new people and start to build up a real community. The people who turned up were so happy that we had set up. Harrogate is such a lovely place but there are a lot of underlying issues that many people don’t recognise.”

Ms Price added that, in her own experience from raising four children, buying new uniform on a regular basis can add up to a lot of money.

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It comes after the Children’s Society 2020 report on school uniform found that parents were spending three times more than what they expected.

“The Wrong Blazer” report also highlighted how children wearing the wrong uniform can lead to bullying, isolation or exclusion.

The Village Harrogate, formerly known as Baby Basics, also runs a baby bank where new families in need can pick up starter packs. They are filled with nappies, clothes and wipes but the charity also has toys, cots and other equipment available.

Anyone who wants to get in touch with the charity with donations or requests can send an email by clicking here.

The “Uniform Swap Shop” will be held outside West Park United Reformed Church once a month. The organisers have not yet set up the October meeting but will post a date on their Facebook page.

There has been a slight rise in the number of people claiming out-of-work benefits in the Harrogate district.

In August, there were 3,970 people claiming out-of-work benefits, up slightly from 3,885 in July. Of those, 2,270 were men and 1,705 were women.

The figures were published today by the Office for National Statistics and are accurate up to August 13. They reveal that 4.2% of the district’s population was claiming out-of-work benefits, a rise from 4.1% in the previous month.

Harrogate is below the UK-wide figure of 6.5% for people claiming the benefits, which includes Job Seekers’ Allowance and Universal Credit.

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• Harrogate out-of-work benefits claims rise slightly

• Fears Harrogate food bank will see spike in demand when furlough ends

The numbers for benefit claims in the district have remained stable all summer, with the government’s furlough scheme used for more than 15,000 jobs in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

However, Harrogate’s Citizens Advice Bureau told the Stray Ferret they are “bracing themselves” for a sharp rise in unemployment in the town when the furlough scheme closes at the end of October.

A Harrogate man fears a problem with the NHS coronavirus test booking website could delay his surgery.

Terry Jones needs to test negative for coronavirus before he can be admitted to hospital but so far he has been unable to secure a test.

Mr Jones is not exhibiting any coronavirus symptoms but there is no option on the site to book a test because a clinician asks you to do so.

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Mr Jones, who asked for details of his surgery to remain private, told the Stray Ferret:

“I could lie on the form but I don’t know how that could impact my treatment going forward if I said I have coronavirus symptoms. I hope that it does not delay my surgery. There will be tens of thousands more people just like me.”

There is no “my clinician has asked me to get a test” option.

Mr Jones said the NHS site had recently removed the “a clinician has asked me to get a test” option as well as the option to book a test before going on holiday.

The Stray Ferret took his concerns to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). A spokesperson said:

“We have always been clear if you have symptoms of coronavirus, or are asked by a clinician or local authority to get a test then you should apply for one.

“We are seeing a significant demand for tests. That’s why we have simplified the booking process.”

The DHSC did not commit to reviewing the booking website to give users the option of saying their clinician had recommended they book a test.

It comes shortly after one Harrogate mum was informed by the coronavirus test website she had to drive to Oldham next month for a test.