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30
Sept 2020
Harrogate hospital prepares for winter with 100 coronavirus beds
Harrogate District Hospital has prepared for a second wave of coronavirus this winter by setting aside up to 100 beds for infected patients.
The annual members meeting of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust last night heard the hospital currently has four coronavirus patients.
This is far below the 60 patients at the peak of the pandemic but the trend is heading back in the wrong direction - there were no coronavirus patients at the end of July.
Rising coronavirus cases locally - yesterday's figure of 19 new infections was the highest daily increase for three weeks - has fuelled fears of a second peak.
But trust bosses are more confident of coping this time.
Read more:
- Daily covid cases reach three-week high in Harrogate district
- First covid death at Harrogate hospital in two months
Tim Gold, chief operating officer at the trust, said at last night's meeting:
Dr Jackie Andrews, medical director at the trust, added it prepared over summer for the "inevitable" next wave of the pandemic:
The meeting also revealed the trust is currently spending £1 million a month on staffing, testing and PPE to combat coronavirus.
The government has covered this cost retrospectively and has set aside £24 million for the region from October.
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