Two Harrogate GP surgeries are set to merge towards the end of this year.
East Parade Surgery and Park Parade Surgery, which are both located on the same floor of the Mowbray Square Medical Centre on Myrtle Square, announced the move today.
The practices said in a statement the surgeries already “work closely together and share several teams and services” .
It added the partners Emma Keating and Sarah Wilkinson felt a single, larger practice will allow them to “pool the skills of team members to create an organisation equipped to survive and thrive in the NHS of the future”.
The statement said:
“We believe in continuity of care and the people you already know will be part of the new surgery. There will also be the choice for you to see clinicians from across a larger team.”
The statement said the merger, which is being overseen by the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, will take place in early October, adding both sites will “work hard” to ensure a smooth transition for patients.
Patients already registered will be automatically transferred to the new surgery, which does not yet have a name.
The statement said people can contact the medical centre to express their views, as well as to submit ideas for a new surgery name.
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Harrogate nursery rated ‘good’ by Ofsted
Government inspectors have praised staff at a Harrogate nursery in a report published this week.
Ofsted rated Little Dragons Day Nursery on East Parade ‘good’ following an inspection on September 5.
It said “children benefit from a wide range of exciting experiences at this well-organised setting” and “have strong opportunities to explore with their senses”.
The report added:
“Children share and play cooperatively together. They benefit from secure daily routines and regular mindfulness sessions. This helps them to feel happy, safe and secure.
“Staff are caring, nurturing and fun. They build strong bonds and good relationships with children.”
Little Dragons is on East Parade.
Ofsted described manager Bambi Wainwright as “very effective”, adding:
“She provides strong support for her staff team’s wellbeing and continuous professional development.
“Staff are supported to improve their skills through meetings, training and observations of practice. The manager and her staff team are dedicated and passionate about the quality of the service they provide and the outcomes for children in their care.”
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Ofsted recommended two areas for improvement. It suggested Little Dragons reviewed the use of comforters, such as dummies, “to enhance support for younger children’s developing speech and communication skills” and also reduced distractions during group times “to further support children’s listening and attention skills”.
Little Dragons Day Nursery, which caters for 65 children aged up to four, registered in 2012 and employs 14 members of childcare staff.
Ms Wainwright said many staff had been at the nursery since it opened, adding:
“We are absolutely thrilled. It shows all the team’s hard work and dedication has paid off.”
Harrogate Tory MP’s office almost struck by lightning
The Harrogate building struck by lightning is next door to Conservative MP Andrew Jones’ constituency office, it has emerged.
Paramedics treated a resident for shock when lightning hit their home at East Parade on Saturday night.
A police cordon put up outside their home remained in place yesterday.
A cul-de-sac that separates the building and the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative Association‘s office was also closed because debris from the lightning-struck roof had landed on to the road and the chimney stack was unsafe.
The office is where Andrew Jones, the Conservative MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, is based when he is not in Westminster. Several of his staff also work there.
The building struck by lightning is on the left and the Conservative office is on the right.
Harrogate Conservative Club is the next building down the street.
Nobody was seriously injured in the incident, which occurred at about 10.30pm during Saturday’s storm.
Another home on East Parade, along with properties on Skipton Road and Crab Lane, suffered flooding within minutes of the lightning strike, forcing on-call firefighters from Summerbridge to be drafted in to help crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough.
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Harrogate homes flooded and struck by lightning in storm
A house was struck by lightning and others faced flash flooding, as the Harrogate district felt the wrath of last night’s storm.
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service night shift summary reported crews from Harrogate and Knaresborough were summoned to a home on East Parade in Harrogate that had been struck by lightning at 22:38.
One occupant suffered shock as a result and was treated by a paramedic but was otherwise unharmed.
Police then cordoned the property due to “an unsafe chimney stack with some debris falling into the road”.
Boroughbridge crews also attended a power line in Ingmanthorpe after it had been struck by lightning, causing it to arc near trees. Crews remained at the scene until it was safe and “left the incident in the hands of power grid engineers.”
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Throughout the night, multiple houses within the district were hit by flash flooding.
Summerbridge firefighters were called to a house on Crab Lane in Harrogate following reports of flooding inside the basement. Crews pumped out water using an ejector pump. This was then left in the hands of the owners.
A house on East Park Road in Harrogate, was also flooded during the storm. Crews assisted occupants in using buckets to remove the water.
Firefighters also attended reports of flooding on Skipton Road and Devonshire Place.
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Plan approved to convert former Harrogate RAF club into flatsA plan to convert a former Royal Air Force club in Harrogate into flats has been approved.
The club on East Parade occupied the building between 1966 and 2022 and served to support ex-RAF servicemen and servicewomen throughout the Harrogate district.
Its members were part of the RAF Association, a registered charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members nationally.
Now, Harrogate Borough Council has approved a proposal by Mr Aaron Dean to convert the club into four flats following its closure last year.
The club closed after over 50 years in June 2022 due to a dwindling membership locally.
A statement from the club chairman last summer said the club was no longer viable and when sold, the proceeds would be given to the RAF Association.
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A closing party was held at the club where people made donations to obtain some of its remaining military memorabilia.
Despite closing the club, the Harrogate district branch of RAFA is continuing with its charitable endeavours and remaining members will still attend annual events such as the Battle of Britain commemorative parade at Stonefall Cemetery and Remembrance Sunday parades.
Plans to convert Harrogate’s former RAF club into flatsA planning application has been submitted to convert Harrogate’s former Royal Air Force club on East Parade into four flats.
The club occupied the building between 1966 and 2022 and served to support ex-RAF servicemen and servicewomen throughout the Harrogate district.
The bar was open on Wednesday and Saturday evenings.
The club’s members were part of the RAF Association, a registered charity that provides welfare support to the family of RAF members nationally.
But the club closed after over 50 years in June 2022 due to a dwindling membership locally.
Planning documents submitted to Harrogate Borough Council also say there was also no disabled access to the building, which made it difficult for ageing members to access.
A statement from the club chairman last summer said the club was no longer viable and when sold, the proceeds would be given to the RAF Association.
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A closing party was held at the club where people made donations to obtain some of its remaining military memorabilia.
Despite closing the club, the Harrogate district branch of RAFA is continuing with its charitable endeavours and remaining members will still attend annual events such as the Battle of Britain commemorative parade at Stonefall Cemetery and Remembrance Sunday parades.
Philip Crebbin, chairman of the club, outside the RAF club in Harrogate.
The National Reserve Club, also called The Nash, was a nearby club that formed in 1913 but closed in 2020. Planning documents say that declining membership numbers and maintenance costs mean working men’s clubs are struggling to survive.
However, the Ex-Servicemens Social Club, also on East Parade, is still open.
The plans for the RAFA Club include four two-bedroom flats and the demolition of an external toilet block.
Planning documents state:
Death of Harrogate man in his 30s not being treated as suspicious“The falling membership of private members clubs such as The Nash and the RAFA Club, have rendered them unviable and works on the maintenance of those properties has declined.
“It is generally recognised that limited membership clubs nationally are in the decline and property maintenance is low down their priorities while trying to survive. The closure of these two nearby premises with no acceptable alternative use or substantial investment will result in the decline of the fabric of the buildings being accelerated to the detriment of the character of the conservation area.”
North Yorkshire Police said today it was not treating the death of a Harrogate man in his 30s as suspicious.
Police put up a cordon after they were called by the ambulance service to a flat on East Parade last Thursday evening.
A nearby resident contacted the Stray Ferret today to say other people in the flat were evacuated and put up in hotels while crime scene investigators carried out work.
The person wanted to know why there had been so subsequent police information informing nearby residents about the incident and offering reassurance.
Police said in response to a request for information today:
“At the time of reporting, his death was treated as unexplained, therefore a cordon was put in place to protect the scene while officers carried out a full examination of the property where the death occurred.
“Following a post mortem examination, officers do not believe that there are any suspicious circumstances that led to the man’s death.
“A report will be prepared for the coroner to inform a future inquest into the man’s death.”
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