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22
Oct 2021
Harrogate hospital reveals winter plans
Harrogate District Hospital has the capacity to increase its number of beds by 50 as part of winter escalation plans.
Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer and consultant in emergency medicine at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, revealed the numbers in an interview with the Stray Ferret yesterday.
Talking about the trust's winter plans, Dr Shepherd said the hospital currently has 260 beds, 20 more than in summer, and has the potential to increase this to 310. Ripon Community Hospital has the capacity to increase beds from 16 to 20.
The hospital covid situation remains considerably better than last winter, when the number of patients in Harrogate with coronavirus peaked at 70, and during the first wave in spring last year, when the figure was about 40. He said:
The Harrogate district currently has one of the highest covid rates in the country, with the seven-day rate currently 727 per 100,000 people.
But he pointed out that this time last year the hospital had cancelled many other services due to covid and this time staff were heading into winter dealing with coronavirus “on top of other things".
'Big impact' of vaccines
How worried is he about the months ahead?
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The hospital currently has eight beds in intensive care and four are being used. Last winter it had to increase the number from eight to 30 to cope.
After two previous waves of covid, the trust now has well rehearsed 'flex' plans to cope with fluctuating coronavirus patient numbers. Dr Shepherd said:
Waiting list increase
He expects extra patients with other respiratory viruses this year because people are mixing more.
It spells difficult times ahead for staff, particularly as the district's high infection rate has forced a lot of staff to isolate.
Like other NHS organisations, the trust is also dealing with recruitment problems. Dr Shepherd says shortages are often specific to certain areas, such as theatre staff and nurses.
It doesn't sound like a good time for any of the trust's 4,000 staff to put in requests for a fortnight in Lanzarote over Christmas. Dr Shepherd says:
The impact of lockdown is still being felt. The trust waiting list was 18,000 pre-covid. Now it's 22,000. Dr Shepherd says the situation varies from department to department.
Pressure on the emergency department has increased significantly, with most people now seen and either admitted or discharged within six hours rather than four.
Masks and vaccines enough for now
Medical organisations, including the British Medical Association, have said this week it's time for the government to adopt winter planning now to prevent the NHS being overwhelmed by growing numbers of coronavirus cases.
Dr Shepherd says Harrogate and Ripon hospitals have "never stepped away from asking people to wear masks".
Does he think it's time for other measures?
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