Harrogate hospital’s beds full as it battles winter pressures

Harrogate District Hospital reached maximum bed occupancy this month, with all 292 beds filled.

Figures published by NHS England show that on February 4 the hospital was at maximum capacity although the situation has improved slightly since.

The hospital is currently operating at 90% bed occupancy, as it battles covid and winter pressures, say trust managers.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital was dealing with a “variety of winter infections”, such as flu and the Omicron variant of covid.

Russell Nightingale, chief operating officer at the trust, said the hospital reached maximum bed occupancy last week “for a short period of time”.

He said:

“Our trust’s primary purpose is to ensure the best possible healthcare service for patients in our care.

“Winter is always a busy time of the year at Harrogate District Hospital as we deal with a variety of winter infections such as flu and the Omicron variant of covid, in addition to all other regular activity.

“Bed occupancy rates are always increasing during the winter months and last week for a short period of time we did reach maximum bed occupancy rates.

“Currently we are at around 90% bed occupancy rates; however we do have process in place to deal with such eventualities and to ensure we can continue to look after our patients.”

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Mr Nightingale said “we do not want patients spending longer than they need to in our hospital” and that tye trust worked with other agencies, such as North Yorkshire County Council, to support them after discharge.

He added:

“We also have our Same Day Emergency Care Unit, which is rapidly assessing and treating patients to reduce the number of patients staying overnight and supporting those who are ready to be discharged and would benefit from being out of a hospital environment.”

Harrogate Hydro reduces opening hours due to staff shortages

Harrogate Hydro is to reduce its opening hours due to staff shortages.

The facility, which is run by Harrogate Borough Council-controlled Brimhams Active, will be closed on either a Saturday or Sunday from this weekend, which coincides with the start of half-term holidays.

It said ongoing staff shortages and effects of the covid pandemic has left it “no choice” but to make the decision.

The Hydro said in a post on its Facebook page:

“As you may be aware, the Hydro is currently operating with a reduced team and reduced programme as we continue to respond to the covid pandemic as well as being affected by the national staff shortages at leisure facilities.

“Despite our best efforts, these shortages leave us with no choice but to reduce the opening hours.

“With immediate effect, the Hydro will either be closed on Saturdays or Sundays until we close for the refurbishment project which we can now confirm will be Friday, April 8.”

The Hydro will be closed on the following days:

Meanwhile, the facility will be closed for a refurbishment project from April 8.

The council has not said how long the Hydro will be closed.

It said the programme for the construction of the scheme was being finalised and will go before the authority’s cabinet for approval “in due course”.

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As part of the refurbishment, the council will demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400-square metre fitness suite on the first floor.

Outside, the car park will be reconfigured with a new area bicycle storage and room for six electric vehicle charging points.

As part of its plans to overhaul leisure services, which were approved in June 2020, the council outlined a £13.5 million project to refurbish The Hydro.

Harrogate district hospitalisations and covid rate falls

The number of patients who tested positive for covid at Harrogate District Hospital has fallen.

Latest figures from Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust show 30 patients are currently being treated at the hospital – down on 34 last week.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate has also fallen to 1,175 cases per 100,000 people.

But this remains above the county-wide average which is 856 and the England rate of 873.

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UK Health Security Agency data shows the daily number positive covid cases yesterday was 158.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for coronavirus have been reported at Harrogate hospital, according to NHS England figures.

The death toll at the hospital since March 2020 remains at 220.

Harrogate council staff still working from home – despite change of guidance

Harrogate Borough Council is still encouraging staff to work from home despite covid guidance and restrictions being dropped.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an immediate end to work from home guidance on January 19.

The following week, the government dropped Plan B restrictions, including mandatory face masks and vaccine passports.

Despite the end to the guidance, council officials said the authority was still encouraging staff to work from home where possible due to high covid rates in the district.

Currently, the seven-day rate for the Harrogate district stands at 1,301 per 100,000 people.

A spokesperson for the council said:

“Covid infection rates continue to remain high across the Harrogate district. Therefore, staff are continuing to be encouraged to work from home where possible, however they are able to come into work if required.

“Our covid workplace safety plan is regularly updated to reflect the latest government guidance and local infection rates to ensure we can continue to keep our colleagues safe. We continue to review this on a regular basis.”

The council has staff working across the district, predominantly at its multi-million pound Knapping Mount headquarters which has space for 500 staff.

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The Stray Ferret asked the council how many staff it had working from its offices and how many were working from home.

It said the number of staff “differs day-by-day” and not all roles required offices as a work space.

A spokesperson added that the council’s headquarters at Knapping Mount was also designed to allow for staff to hot desk if they wished.

They said:

“As the number of colleagues using one of our offices differs day-by-day, and not all roles require an office setting it would be difficult to provide a comprehensive figure. Staff also come and go from the office depending on their job role, planning officers for example.

“And while covid has seen a significant increase in staff working from home – and rightly so – many staff were already able to work from home if they so wished.

“Agile working was something adopted by many local authorities and companies long before covid. In fact, the civic centre was designed in such a way that staff could hot desk if they so wish.”

Harrogate care boss: Vaccine mandate led to ‘significant’ staff losses

A Harrogate care home manager has criticised the government’s NHS vaccine review, which was announced this week.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the policy of compulsory vaccines for NHS staff would be paused while a consultation is held on the policy.

But the pause was announced after it became a legal requirement for health and social care staff to be double vaccinated.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Health Care, which is based in Harrogate, said the mandate had led to a significant number of staff leaving the care sector.

He said:

“The social care sector has suffered significant losses to our workforce due to the compulsory vaccine policy at a time when we were already experiencing a national staffing crisis.”

Mr Rycroft added that the care sector has had to deal with the fallout of the policy without any support from government.

He said:

“I hope that by allowing staff back to the social care sector, even if they’re unvaccinated, we’ll be able to begin combatting the ongoing recruitment crisis, although the safety of everyone remains our main priority so we would have to ensure precautions are in place.”

Hospital to continue to encourage staff vaccination

Meanwhile, Harrogate hospital officials have said they will continue to encourage staff to get the vaccine despite the review.

Of the 5,000 staff employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, 98% have had at least one dose of a covid vaccine and 97% are double vaccinated.

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Angela Wilkinson, director of workforce and organisational development at the trust, said staff had been encouraged to get a vaccine through a variety of communications including weekly online videos, emails and one-to-one conversations with managers.

Ms Wilkinson said:

“Vaccines save lives and are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. 

“Since the development of a vaccine for the covid virus, we have actively encouraged our staff to get their jabs. 

“We have provided staff with a wide variety of information including how they can get their vaccinations and what the benefits are. We have also engaged with staff who have not had the vaccination to support them, allay any fears and dispel any myths.”

She added:

“We await the outcome of the consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment as this will determine whether staff in patient facing roles will need to be legally required to have the vaccination if they wish to work for our trust.

“Nonetheless, we will continue to encourage all of our staff to have the covid-19 vaccination.”

Harrogate and Ripon hospitals maintain visitor restrictions due to high covid rates

The NHS trust that runs hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon is to maintain visitor restrictions while coronavirus case rates remain high.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust imposed restrictions at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital on December 23 amid concerns about the Omicron variant.

It means visitors are only allowed for patients on end of life care, patients with a learning disability or severe cognitive impairment such as dementia. Parents or carers of children and birthing partners are also permitted.

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At the time, the hospital said it would review the restrictions regularly and relax them “at the earliest opportunity”.

However, although the government removed all Plan B measures a week ago, the trust has yet to say when regular visits will resume.

A spokesperson for the trust said today:

“Visitor guidance has not changed since December 23, 2021, although it is regularly reviewed.

“While infection rates remain at the current levels, we need to maintain the current restrictions on visitors to our wards for the safety of our patients and staff.

“These restriction also still apply to those people wanting to accompany outpatients to their appointments.

“Anyone entering our hospital will also need to wear a mask, ensure they sanitise their hands and maintain social distancing.”

Another 339 covid infections were recorded in the Harrogate district yesterday, bringing the seven-day average to 1,305 cases per 100,000 people — the highest in North Yorkshire and considerably above the England rate of 1,048.

Number of covid patients at Harrogate Hospital increases sharply to 34

The number of positive covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital has increased significantly in the last seven days.

Currently 34 patients are confirmed to have covid — nine more than last week.

The figures come as the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 1,290 per 100,000 people. The rate has steadily increased since dropping to 1,171 on January 17.

The North Yorkshire average is 1,090 and the England rate is 1,082.

UK Health Security Agency statistics now include figures for reinfections.

Latest figures show that since January 24, the Harrogate district has recorded a total of 1,953 infections.

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Meanwhile, the number of deaths from patients who tested positive for covid at Harrogate District Hospital since March 2020 stands at 220.

Latest NHS England figures show that two patients died on January 28.

The government lifted Plan B restrictions, which included mandatory face coverings and vaccine passports for major events, last Thursday.

County council decides to continue online meetings

Senior North Yorkshire county councillors have decided to not return to in-person meetings following the relaxation of covid restrictions.

The authority’s executive has recommended to a full council meeting next month that its in-person meetings, which shape key services ranging from education to road maintenance, should be limited to only those that committee chairs believe are necessary.

While most councillors believe the quality of debate is stifled due to the nature of online meetings, in practice the recommendation is likely to mean all but most full authority, planning and scrutiny of health committee meetings will continue to be held virtually.

Since March 2020 almost every major decision on many public services for the county’s 605,000 residents have been made by its chief executive officer, Richard Flinton, who has used emergency powers granted under the pandemic.

The overwhelming majority of the council’s committees have been held online and broadcast on YouTube, leading to a cut in mileage claimed by councillors of 131,338 miles, a saving in travel claims of £55,221, an estimated saving of 668 working days in travel time and 36.774 tonnes less carbon dioxide emissions a year.

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The broadcasting of meetings, which are held during the normal working week, has led to a sharp upturn in the number of people watching proceedings.

Pandemic an ‘eye-opener’

The authority’s executive member for education Cllr Patrick Mulligan said the pandemic had proved “an absolute eye-opener” in terms of the advantages the council could reap from remote working.

The meeting heard while the government was encouraging people to return to workplaces, executive members warned against losing the advantages that remote meetings have brought in “a rush back to the office by some quarters”.

Cllr Janet Sanderson, executive member for children’s services, added: 

“Setting covid aside, going back to anything other than virtual meetings in a blend would be a retrograde step.”

Executive members were also told the authority had a responsibility to protect  its staff, but also its elected members, many of whom are aged above or close to traditional retirement age.

Cllr Carl Les, leader of the council, said online meetings had enabled him to be much more productive, attending up to six meetings in a day instead of about two in-person.

He said:

“I think it’s right to continue to be cautious. 

“The emergency powers have served us well and I would like to think we can continue with that, but also as we start to come out of the pandemic, if we are coming out of the pandemic, to give a bigger role to chairs of committees to decide when meetings should be held in person.”

Former Knaresborough vaccine centre to become gym

Planning permission has been granted to convert the former covid vaccine centre and Lidl supermarket in Knaresborough into a gym.

The Lidl on York Road closed in 2018 when the supermarket relocated to a larger site nearby.

In February 2021, the site was taken over by Homecare Pharmacy Services, which administered thousands of covid jabs from a building in the car park until it moved in September to larger premises on Knaresborough’s Chain Lane.

Planning consultants Lichfields said it was not able to say which gym operator will be moving into the building at this stage.

Knaresborough is currently served by a variety of gyms, including Black Wolf Fitness, XS Fitness Club and Red Strength.

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Harrogate district reports 278 covid cases as rate continues to rise

The Harrogate district’s covid rate has increased again after another 278 cases were reported today.

Latest UK Health Security Agency figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average has risen to 1,117 per 100,000 people — an increase on yesterday’s figure of 1,088.

It remains above the county average, which is 999, and the England rate of 1,006.

The number of positive covid patients currently being treated at the hospital stands at 20.

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Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has found a new strain of the Omicron variant, known as BA.2, in Harrogate.

The variant was found in four tests from 101 carried out by the Wellcome Sanger Institute, which is funded by the Department of Health, in the week up to January 15.

However, the dominant strain of Omicron continues to make up most cases in the district.

The UK Health Security Agency has designated BA.2 as a variant under investigation.

With tomorrow’s lifting of Plan B restrictions, the Stray Ferret will no longer report daily updates on infections. However, we will continue to provide coverage on the ongoing impact of the pandemic on the Harrogate district.