The number of patients at Harrogate District Hospital with coronavirus has more than halved in a week.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust revealed today the hospital currently has 18 coronavirus patients compared with 42 last week — a reduction of 24.
At its peak, there were 67 people in the hospital with the virus and the number had remained stubbornly high in recent weeks despite the declining covid infection rate locally.
Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, told a press briefing today the current covid wave had been “long and hard” on hospital staff but that the situation was finally improving.
“The trend is very much in the downward direction and that’s very positive and where we want to see it.”
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Ms Bloor also commented on the Harrogate Nightingale hospital, which NHS England confirmed this week will be decommissioned and returned to Harrogate Borough Council from next month.
She added:
“It’s the right time to stand the Nightingale down but we’re lucky we had it there.
“Throughout the last year, it’s been a vital insurance policy in our approach to managing covid.
“It also provided a valuable role supporting routine care as well as safe and fast access to CT scanning.”
