Local Harrogate News & Views around the district - Page 397 of 1188

Union criticises Harrogate hospital for spending £1.2m on management consultants

One of Britain’s biggest trade unions has weighed in on Harrogate hospital’s decision to spend £1.2 million on hiring management consultants to develop a “culture of continuous improvement”.

Unite the Union, which has more than 1.2 million members in the UK and Ireland, said “paying consultants to produce a report that will gather dust on a shelf” was “not a good use of taxpayers’ money” and urged Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust to urgently review the decision.

The trust 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 that works to help healthcare bodies become more efficient.

Unite’s national officer for health, Colenzo Jarrett Thorpe, told the Stray Ferret:

“The board of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust needs an urgent review of this decision since it is not a good use of taxpayers’ money. Consultants are called in to tell the organisation what they already know or what they want to hear, without having the foresight to have the discussion with key stakeholders such as staff and trade unions and patient groups first.

“The £1.2 million would be better spent cutting agency spend, improving flexible working for all employees, and reducing the vacancy rates across the trust, rather than paying consultants to produce a report that will gather dust on a shelf and will not impact anyone.”

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

Mr Jarrett-Thorpe said:

“If the trust wanted to involve all employees, why doesn’t it improve and strengthen access and facilities to trade union representatives in the trust? Trade unions representatives can help retention of NHS staff, staff morale, improve safety at work, increase staff engagement, productivity and learning opportunities.”

The trust argues its continuous improvement agenda has brought about positive change over the last decade. KPMG and Catalysis are also reported to have helped other hospital trusts save hundreds of thousands of pounds in efficiencies, increase surgeries, reduce patient falls, and improve care outcomes.

In a statement issued earlier this month, the trust 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.”

World Cup hero Rachel Daly in line for player of year award

Rachel Daly probably thought her day could not get any better when she helped England reach the final of the Women’s World Cup.

But the Harrogate hotshot has also been nominated for the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award.

Daly, 31, is one of six nominees for the award, which is voted for by other players.

She won the Golden Boot for finishing as the leading scorer in the Women’s Super League, netting 22 times for Aston Villa Women after signing from Houston Dash last summer.

Daly, who has 381,000 followers on Instagram, is up against:

Ona Batlle – Manchester United

Sam Kerr – Chelsea

Frida Maanum – Arsenal

Guro Reiten – Chelsea

Khadija Shaw – Manchester City

The winner will be announced at 50th PFA awards ceremony on August 29.

In the meantime, Daly has the small matter of a World Cup final against Spain to look forward to at 11am on Sunday after helping the Lionesses defeat hosts Australia in today’s semi-final.

Woman treated for shock after crash near Ripon

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has been in action twice in our area today, once for a road traffic accident and once to rescue an injured women.

At just after 8am, crews from Ripon and Harrogate were called to a two-car road collision on Studley Road in Ripon.

One car had driven into the back of the other, and one of the drivers, who were both women aged about 20, was treated by fire crew for shock before an ambulance arrived at the scene.

Later in the day, at 2.46pm, police asked Harrogate fire crew to gain entry to a locked premises on Stanhope Drive, off Knaresborough Road in Harrogate, as they had concerns for the occupant.

Firefighters broke into the building using a lock-extractor and found that the occupant had fallen and suffered a broken arm.

The fire crew administered oxygen therapy and left the unnamed 64-year-old woman in the care of the police, awaiting an ambulance.

Harrogate autism school could save £4m a year

A proposal to convert a former Harrogate primary school into a secondary school for 80 autistic children could save up to £4 million over five years, it has emerged.

North Yorkshire Council’s ruling executive will next week discuss the findings of a six-week consultation into proposals to spend £3.5 million repurposing Woodfield Community Primary School.

A report on the consultation, published before the meeting, revealed considerable support for the scheme, with 86 per cent of 105 responses in favour.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Councillor Paul Haslam, a Conservative who represents Bilton and Nidd Gorge, said the proposal was a good outcome.

He said:

“The community was severely disappointed when the primary school closed, however we are delighted a new school will be here to provide provision for children with special educational needs.

“It’s a great green location with good air quality and facilities and as the primary school had 50 per cent special needs pupils, the area is used to providing that type of care.”

Special needs rocketing

Since 2016, the number of children in North Yorkshire with identified special educational needs and disability and a legally-binding education, health and care plan has increased by more than 110 per cent, leading to a shortage of special school places and numerous children being taught by independent providers.

As independent day sector placements typically cost the public purse up to £70,000 annually and the average cost of a special school placement is about £23,000.

The council is therefore forecasting savings of up to £4 million over the first five years of the new school.

Woodfield school closed in December.

Woodfield school closed at the end of last year, with the council claiming it had “exhausted all options” after years of falling pupil numbers and an inadequate Ofsted rating. It is hoped the new school will open in September next year.

Numerous consultation respondents said the specialist school was “desperately” needed in the area, with one parent highlighting how their child had to travel to Darlington for autism provision.

Respondents said many children with autism failed to do as well as they could because they were not in the correct setting to flourish.

A headteacher of a local primary school, who is not named, told the consultation:

“This is very good news indeed, especially when we consider the number of pupils attending private placements alongside the skyrocketing levels of need. It is very good to feel heard by the local authority.”

Some respondents questioned whether the funding should have been focused on improving or extending other specialist schools, including Springwater School in Starbeck and the Forest School in Knaresborough, with one claiming it was “too little too late for the academic autistic community”.

Hollywood star’s son to unveil plaque to famous father in Harrogate

A Hollywood star with strong connections to Harrogate is to be commemorated with a plaque next month.

Michael Rennie was once a household name, and in 1946 became the highest-paid filmstar in Britain.

He acted with such Hollywood greats as Orson Welles, Richard Burton, Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Marlon Brando and Bette Davis. His most famous role was perhaps the lead in the 1951 sci-fi blockbuster The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Rennie was born in 1909 in Idle, near Bradford, and schooled in Cambridgeshire, but his family home was on Otley Road in Harrogate, where he died in 1971. His headstone can be seen at Harlow Hill Cemetery.

The brown plaque, which has been created by Harrogate Civic Society, will be unveiled at 1 Otley Road – the Rennie family’s former home – by Rennie’s son, David, on Saturday, September 9, at 11am. Well-wishers are welcome.

David Rennie, a high court judge whose godmother was Elizabeth Taylor, told the Stray Ferret:

“This plaque means a lot to me, because I didn’t know my father as well as I would have liked. I really got to know him – the way he moved, the sound of his voice – by watching his films.

“When I was growing up, it wasn’t unusual to meet people who knew of him and his roles, especially after he played Harry Lime in the TV series of The Third Man, and I always got the feeling that he was very much liked and admired.

“When he wasn’t in Hollywood, London or Geneva, he came to Yorkshire. I’m confident that although he had this glamorous life, the fact that he always kept on coming back to the family home in Harrogate meant that the connection mattered to him, and I wanted to mark that.”

Harrogate Civic Society is currently considering creating plaques for two other local figures of note: Charles Taylor, who founded Taylor’s Tea; and Claude Verity, who worked from a studio in Harrogate and is believed to have been the first person to add a soundtrack to film.

Harewood Bridge set to reopen early?

Harewood Bridge near Harrogate could re-open earlier than expected after undergoing essential maintenance.

The grade-II listed structure, which is used by 17,000 vehicles a day, closed on July 26 and is due to reopen on August 24.

Its closure has led to 15-mile diversions and added 30 minutes to journey times.

The Stray Ferret contacted Leeds City Council today after hearing unofficial reports work was ahead of schedule and the bridge was on course to reopen a week early.

The council refused to rule out an early reopening but said nothing has been decided yet.

A spokesperson said:

“We are confident works to Harewood Bridge will be completed by the programmes original completion date of August 24 at the latest, subject to good weather and ground conditions.

“Should the work be completed ahead of this date this will be communicated. We would like to continue to thank people for their patience and apologise for any disruption to their journeys.”

The bridge over the River Wharfe on the A61 is a main route between Harrogate and Leeds.

Leeds City Council closed it for waterproofing, resurfacing and footpath repair work. The footway across the bridge has remained open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP calls for police talks on remembrance parades

Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP Andrew Jones has written to North Yorkshire’s chief constable asking her to reconsider the force’s approach to this year’s remembrance parades.

North Yorkshire Police has said it will no longer provide traffic management for parades, including those on Remembrance Sunday, ending a practice that has lasted for decades.

Knaresborough Royal British Legion has said the decision threatened this year’s parade in the town from taking place.

Mr Jones has called for the police to continue to provide the service this year, as there is little time for alternative arrangements, and then work with community groups so they can take over in future.

North Yorkshire Police claims its decision is due to changes to the law in 2004 and subsequent guidance from professional bodies representing police. It also says it is now out-of-step with other police forces which ceased traffic management of remembrance parades many years ago.

Remembrance Sunday in Knaresboroug. Picture: Charlotte Gale

Mr Jones wrote to North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoe Metcalfe asking her to review the force’s decision and reinstate police support at remembrance parades.

His office said today chief constable Lisa Winward had replied “outlining the legal position and the guidance from professional bodies”.

Mr Jones has asked the chief constable asking her to reinstate police traffic management for remembrance parades this year.

He said:

“Remembrance is about our public services coming together and facilitating a collective act of tribute not just to those who have fallen in our armed forces but those in the emergency services who have given their lives that we can be free.

“The parades are an integral part of this and an important tradition that will be lost without traffic management.

“The sudden decision by North Yorkshire Police has endangered that tradition and left little time to put in place alternative arrangements.”

Recognising the police want to stop traffic management duties, Mr Jones has asked Ms Winward to meet with him and parade organisers to discuss “a managed handover of traffic management to volunteers, community groups or council staff”.

He said:

“If the police want to stop traffic management for remembrance it is an operational decision. I think it is a poor decision but in the final analysis it is their decision to take.

“But the sudden announcement means there is little opportunity to save this year’s parades. That is why I am asking them to reconsider the approach for this year and then work with community groups to ensure they have the capacity and knowledge to provide the support for future years.

“I am hopeful that by taking a constructive and collaborative approach we can save these much-loved parts of our remembrance in which the police join and in which we remember the fallen among their number too.”

Harrogate Bus Company places £21m order for 39 electric buses

The Harrogate Bus Company has placed orders worth £21 million for 39 new buses and to equip its Starbeck depot to convert its entire Harrogate fleet to fully electric power.

Funding for the bid includes £7.8 million secured by North Yorkshire Council from the government’s zero emission bus regional areas scheme.

Ministers set-up the scheme to help local authorities outside London introduce zero-emission buses.

The Harrogate Bus Company, whose services include the 36 that runs between Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds, is owned by French firm Transdev.

Transdev has already trialled several types of all-electric buses on three routes in and around Harrogate, and on its shuttle route linking Bradford and Keighley.

Transdev orders, which it revealed today, call for:

20 new Mercedes-Benz E-Citaro all-electric single deck buses, to be used on the urban route 1 between Harrogate and Knaresborough, route 7 linking Harrogate, Wetherby and Leeds, and rural route 24 between Harrogate and Pateley Bridge.
19 new Alexander Dennis Enviro 400EV fully electric double deck buses, to relaunch flagship route, The 36 linking Ripon, Harrogate and Leeds. These will be among the first of this new British-built design to enter service.

One of eight current Harrogate Electrics-branded single deck vehicles, seen at Harrogate Bus Station.

Henri Rohard, managing director of Transdev, described the news as “an important evolution in the quality and sustainability of our network in and around our home town of Harrogate”.

Mr Rohard added:

“All our bus fleet will be renewed in the process, giving our Harrogate Bus Company the most modern and passenger oriented network.

“In combination with our existing eight Harrogate Electrics-branded Volvo 7900E electric buses, the first of their kind in Britain, 47 fully-electric vehicles are now expected to be in service in spring 2024.

“Higher power output delivered by today’s new generation batteries means each bus can go further between charge-ups – and to make sure we provide a reliable service, our buses will also have top-up charges at Harrogate Bus Station, as they will travel further in a day than the maximum range achievable by fully electric buses.”

The Starbeck depot will be upgraded.

Roads minister Richard Holden said:

“It’s fantastic to see Transdev turn its Harrogate fleet to fully electric by ordering 39 new electric buses.

“We’ve awarded £330 million of dedicated funding for zero emission buses in England excluding London, as we continue in our quest to decarbonise transport and reach net zero by 2050.”

Conservative-controlled North Yorkshire Council was among 12 local authorities to submit a successful bid for government funding.

Cllr Keane Duncan, the council’s executive member for highways and transport, said:

“It’s great news for passengers and an important step towards achieving our climate aims.”

Seb Mitchell trial: Murder accused stabbed victim after row

WARNING: The following report contains details which some people may find upsetting.

Harrogate knife victim Seb Mitchell was stabbed to death after a row over a broken mirror, a court has heard.

The incident occurred at a house in Harrogate where the two teenagers became embroiled in a row, a jury at Leeds Crown Court was told yesterday.

The boy accused of Seb’s murder, who can’t be named for legal reasons, stabbed Seb in the chest with a kitchen knife which led to a fatal loss of blood and cardiac arrest.

He appeared for the first day of his trial, expected to last six-to-seven-days, yesterday after pleading not guilty to murder.

Three teenagers who witnessed the horrific incident in the early hours of February 19 this year went to Seb’s aid and called police and an ambulance as he lay barely conscious on a sofa.

Prosecutor Peter Moulson KC said a broken mirror and pane of glass in the kitchen appeared to be the “catalyst” for the fatal stabbing after the boys started arguing and scuffling.

When police arrived, Seb, who was 17, was unresponsive and falling deeper into unconsciousness. Officers found blood stains in the kitchen, living room and a settee, and a red stain on one of the knives from the kitchen block.

Seb was taken to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance, but his condition was so critical he was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary where he underwent emergency surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma.

Despite the best efforts of doctors, he died two days later.

Police launched a murder investigation and spoke to two girls and a teenage boy who were at the house that night where drinks had been consumed.

The murder suspect, from Harrogate, was brought in for questioning but refused to answer police questions during three separate interviews. He also refused to provide blood and urine samples.

However, he did provide a prepared, legally assisted statement claiming initially that the stabbing was in self-defence and that Seb was the aggressor.

Grabbed knife during argument

The two girls told police that the defendant grabbed a knife from the kitchen and confronted Seb with it during the argument which led to scuffling.

One of the girls said the defendant pushed her away before grabbing the knife and “pointing it at Seb”.

She said:

“We were all trying to hold [the defendant] back.”

She said he seemed “fixated with the [victim]” and that the defendant told Seb: “I’m going to wet you up.”

Mr Moulson said the expression “wet you up” was “London slang” for a stabbing.

Leeds Crown Court

She said she heard the defendant repeatedly saying to the victim: “I’m gonna kill you.”

She saw Seb and the defendant “on the floor, in the corner of the kitchen, with glass smashed around them”.

They ended up “face to face” while the others tried to pull them apart, but the teenager wielding the knife was “still not listening” and was pushing her away.

She said he pointed the knife towards Seb’s stomach. She tried to grab the knife from the defendant, but he told her: “Don’t touch my f****** knife.”

The two boys were still shouting at each other as the fight spilled over into the living room, but then Seb fell silent and was laid out, grasping his chest which was bleeding.

‘Fell on the knife’

The girl called 999 and was told by the teenage defendant to tell the ambulance operator that Seb had fallen onto the knife on the floor and that it was an accident. The two other teenage witnesses went along with this because they thought the defendant “could kill them” too.

The girl, who was “too scared to say what actually happened”, told the call-handler:

“Please be quick. He’s dying. Please. He’s 17. He’s going. He’s just about [breathing] but he’s going.”

In the 999 call – an audio recording of which was played to the jury – the defendant could be heard telling the girl to tell the operator that Seb “fell on the knife”.

Screaming, groans and desperate shouts of “Please, help” could be heard in the background.

The girl told the call-handler:

“He fell on the floor. There was a knife on the floor. We all had a drink. We need an ambulance. He’s bleeding seriously. He’s not responding.”

A male voice can then be heard saying:

“We need [an ambulance] now or he’s gonna die. He’s unconscious; he’s not responding in the slightest. He’s breathing but he’s not there.”

The girl later told police that Seb was backing away from the defendant who was “getting a bit closer” with the knife and “getting louder and louder”.

She said the defendant was acting “like he wanted to hurt all of us in there”, which was “very scary”.

The other girl said she saw the defendant “making jabbing motions” with the blade before stabbing Seb.

She added:

“We were all trying to stop it.

“We were like, ‘You can’t do this, you can’t do this, it’s not worth it’.”

She said the defendant was “waving the knife around, putting the knife to [Seb’s] stomach, jabbing [the blade]”.

“That’s when I looked away and when I walked round the corner there was like a silence… with [the defendant] saying, ‘I’m going to wet you up, it doesn’t take much to put it in you.”

She then heard her male friend shouting: “You actually just stabbed him.”

She said Seb was “really drunk”.

The defendant and another teenager were giving Seb chest compressions in an attempt to revive him.

When police arrived, the defendant told them:

“It was me. I was scared. Really sorry. Everyone here are witnesses. I promise I was just trying to defend myself. You can arrest me. This wasn’t meant to happen.”

Mr Moulson said this was a key part of the prosecution evidence as the boy was no longer saying the victim fell on the knife and claiming it was an accident.

The male teenage witness told police that Seb, a black belt in karate who also played football, was the aggressor initially and that the stabbing was an accident.

He said he saw the two boys wrestling in the kitchen following an argument about the broken glass and then the defendant grabbed a knife and told Seb he would “poke him”.

‘Didn’t intend to kill’

The defendant, who admitted manslaughter at a previous hearing, accepts that he deliberately stabbed Seb but denies murder. He claims he didn’t intend to kill or do really serious harm to the teenager.

The prosecution now has to prove that he intended to kill or cause Seb really serious harm to prove murder.

Mohammed Nawaz KC, for the defendant, said:

“We do not say he acted in self-defence. We accept it was not responsible or proportionate for [the defendant] to pick up a knife in response to what was going on.”

He added, however, that it was the defence’s contention that it was not a deliberate stabbing with intent to kill Seb or cause him really serious harm.

A paramedic who arrived at the scene at about 12.20am said that Seb’s clothes were covered in blood. He was laid on a sofa with a 3cm-long puncture wound to his chest.

The trial continues.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly set for World Cup semi final showdown today

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly could be set to make another major tournament final as England’s Lionesses play in a World Cup semi-final today.

Daly and her teammates face host nation Australia in Sydney for a place to play Spain in the final on Sunday.

England sit four places above the Australians, known as the Matildas, in the world rankings.

However, Australia will be backed by a bumper home crowd and have built momentum throughout the tournament.

The 81,000 capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney is expected to be sold out.

Daly, who has started all but one game of England’s matches so far, could feature on the left hand side of midfield again.

The former Killinghall Nomads star helped the Lionesses reach the semi-final in a 2-1 win over Colombia on Saturday.

England, who have reached the last two Women’s World Cup semi-finals, will be hoping to make it one step closer to a second major trophy after clinching the Euros at Wembley last year.

England kick off against Australia at 11am today live on BBC One.

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Special needs rocketing

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Grabbed knife during argument

‘Fell on the knife’

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‘Didn’t intend to kill’

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