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24
Feb 2021
Harrogate Nightingale closure expected to be announced next month
Expectations are growing that the NHS will decommission the Nightingale hospital at Harrogate Convention Centre next month.
Following the Prime Minister's announcement of cautious reopening over the coming months, and news that the vaccination programme is already having an impact on covid infection and illness rates, speculation is mounting that the Nightingale hospital will be dismantled when its contract ends on March 31.
It has never been used to treat covid patients, even through the peaks of the crisis when hospital admissions were at their height. With increasing evidence that the chances of severe illness requiring hospitalisation are lower among those who have been vaccinated, it looks likely that the Nightingale will not be needed in future.
Liberal Democrat peer Lord Newby, who lives in Ripon and has long argued for the convention centre to be returned to Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) use, told the Stray Ferret:
NHS paying Nightingale bills
The NHS has been paying bills of between £125,000 and £160,000 per month for utilities at the convention centre. While local hospitality businesses are keen to have the centre back up and running to deliver trade for the town, some argue it makes more sense for it to have a steady income which at least covers its costs while major events are not possible.
Kimberley Wilson, chair of guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, said:
Ms Wilson said guesthouses are taking bookings for events from the summer, including the Home and Gift Fair and the Bridal Show, and were hopeful that restrictions would be lifted in plenty of time to allow them to go ahead.
However, she was also keen to hear what the new destination management organisation (DMO) has planned to encourage people to come to the Harrogate district once travel and overnight stays are allowed again, to enable businesses to begin planning.
Read more:
- Call for inquiry into Harrogate's Nightingale hospital
- NHS insists Harrogate Nightingale 'can take patients if required'
- 'Give us a clear plan', say Harrogate hospitality businesses
The new DMO appointed a manager, Gemma Rio, who began work in October. She was not available for interview with the Stray Ferret, but a spokesman for HBC, which set up the DMO, said:
Announcement expected soon
The NHS has not commented on its intentions for the site, or the other Nightingale hospitals around the country, other than to say it remains on stand-by to be brought into use if needed. However, it is expected that an announcement will be made soon by the government about its future.
Last summer, an initial three-month contract for the Nightingale in Harrogate from April to June was extended by a month to the end of July. Negotiations then continued before it was finally confirmed in mid-August that the hospital would remain in situ until the end of March.
It has since been used to offer CT scans to non-covid patients, helping Harrogate and District NHS Trust to catch up with patient referrals delayed during the early months of the pandemic.
The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council and Harrogate Convention Centre about when the convention centre might re-open.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokeswoman said this week's government route out of lockdown meant the earliest visitors could return to the district was April 12.
A spokeswoman for Harrogate Convention Centre said:
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