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04
Jan 2022
Nearly 200 Harrogate hospital staff have covid or are isolating
Harrogate hospital bosses said today that 196 staff currently have covid or are isolating as cases of Omicron continue to surge in the district.
Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said rising infection rates were putting pressure on staff, but added that the trust had contingency plans in place to deal with the increase in absences.
Several hospital trusts across the country have been forced to declare a “critical incident” due to the number of staff who are ill or self-isolating with covid.
But Mr Russell told the Stray Ferret that Harrogate hospital has not declared such an incident.
He added that the hospital was still in a position to provide priority services, despite rising infection rates.
Mr Russell said:
Rising cases of the Omicron variant has forced staff at a number of NHS trusts in England into isolation, which has led to severe and unsafe shortages of workers.
Read more:
- Harrogate council billed NHS £3 million for Nightingale costs
- Harrogate and Ripon hospitals restrict visitors due to Omicron
- Harrogate not chosen as Nightingale site this time
On Sunday, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, which runs four hospitals in the county, declared a critical incident as it was unable to maintain safe staffing levels.
Since then, seven other hospital trusts have made a similar declaration including University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
In the Harrogate district, the surge in cases of Omicron has seen the seven-day covid rate increase to 1,357 per 100,000 people - the highest it has ever been since the start of the pandemic.
Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
Mr Russell said that Harrogate hospital had contingency plans in place should staffing levels deteriorate further.
They include redeploying staff to services which require support and having dedicated staff who are prepared to take on additional shifts.
He said:
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