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06
Dec 2024
Harrogate hospital issues plea amid long delays
Harrogate District Hospital has urged people only to attend its emergency department today with severe or life-threatening conditions.
The hospital said it was “extremely busy” following an uplift in respiratory viruses, particularly flu.
One local person told us they walked out after waiting 10 hours for treatment last night.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, said:
Our emergency department in Harrogate is extremely busy today with waiting times being longer than usual. Unless it’s a life-threatening or severe illness or injury, we would ask patients who need healthcare advice or assistance to contact NHS 111 first. The NHS will help them right away and if they need urgent care, the NHS can book them in to be seen quickly and safely.
Hospital admission have increased sharply nationally due to an increase in covid, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
Prof Stephen Powis, the national medical director of the NHS, warned the number of admissions could continue to increase if people didn’t protect themselves with flu, covid and RSV jabs.
We asked the trust if the same trend had affected Harrogate hospital. The spokesperson said:
For the last two weeks we have seen a significant numbers of patients with flu. Respiratory viruses are also leading to an increase in activity on the children's wards and our emergency department. We would encourage anyone who is eligible for the flu vaccination to have it so that they can be protected.
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