Nurses and ambulance workers in the Harrogate district will walk out today as part of an ongoing dispute over pay and conditions.
Picket lines could be organised within yards of each other on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, where the hospital and the ambulance station are both located.
The Royal College of Nursing also plans to stage another walkout tomorrow (February 7).
The move comes as the union has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to increase nurses’ pay and NHS funding.
Patricia Marquis, director for England at the RCN, said:
“People are having to wait longer to access services when demand has never been greater.
“Patients are not dying because nurses are striking. Nurses are striking because patients are dying.
“Our members have a mandate to take strike action for another 100 days – and the Prime Minister would do well to see these strikes for what they are: a warning of the need for swift action.
“The Prime Minister is letting down the nation’s health, millions of patients, and ultimately the economy. An ill and untreated population cannot work and contribute to the economic recovery that everybody wants to see.”
Read more:
- Union predicts some Harrogate district schools will close due to strike
- First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital
Meanwhile, GMB union members from Yorkshire Ambulance Service will stage another walkout in a dispute over pay and conditions.
Ambulance staff are also set to stage further walkouts on February 10.
In response to the strike action, a spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
Harrogate hospital told to reduce 18 month waiting list to zero patients“Comprehensive plans are in place to maintain the safety of patients requiring our services during the Royal College of Nursing’s industrial action.
“We are committed to providing the best possible levels of healthcare in any eventuality, and as ever, during the industrial action our focus has been on maintaining the safety of our patients.
“Whilst it is regrettable that some of our services have been affected by industrial action, we have ensured that essential services have remained available. Whilst we have been operating at reduced staffing levels in a number of areas such as inpatient wards, we worked with the RCN to ensure that we had sufficient nursing staff working to maintain patient safety.
“During the industrial action we have rescheduled appointments where it has been necessary. We have worked with the RCN to ensure that our services have remained safe.
“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and respect those who have chosen to take part in industrial action. We want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.”
NHS bosses have set a target for no patient to be waiting 18 months for surgery at Harrogate District Hospital.
Officials at NHS England have told Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, that its waiting lists of more than 78 weeks should be brought down by the end of March.
Currently, the trust has 120 patients waiting more than a year and a half to have an operation.
The figure has gradually fallen since April 2022, when 205 people were waiting 18 months or more for surgery.
The number of patients waiting for an operation at Harrogate District Hospital since April 2022. Data: HDFT.
However, the number of patients waiting 52 weeks or more still stands at 1,299 people, an increase on the figure of 1,187 last April.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
“During the Covid-19 pandemic there was a risk of the NHS being overwhelmed with the number of patients seriously unwell with the virus. Protecting the NHS became a top priority and to ensure there was hospital capacity to cope with the pandemic, and to protect patients and staff, non-urgent routine hospital treatment was postponed.
“Since we emerged from the pandemic, a key focus for the NHS has been to reduce waiting lists, with a particular focus on those waiting longest for planned care, and to eliminate waits of over 104 weeks by March 2022 and 78 weeks by April 2023.
“Elective (planned) care is planned treatment at our hospital involving specialist clinical care or surgery, following a referral by a GP or health professional. It can refer to elective admission, outpatient appointments and diagnostic services, and relate to many conditions to improve the quality of life of a patient, to help them psychologically, or extend their life – for example cataract surgery, hip replacement, physiotherapy, or reconstructive surgery.
“Our teams have been doing extraordinary work to reduce waiting times and to see patients as soon as possible despite the ongoing difficulties that Covid-19 has caused. They have worked hard to add additional clinics, scans and operations; as well as adapting pathways and using technology to improve our offer to patients.”
Read more:
- 1,300 people waiting a year for operations at Harrogate hospital, says chief executive
- Harrogate hospital trust plans home care service to tackle bed blocking
- Harrogate hospital staff selling days off to cope with cost of living crisis
Last year, the trust’s board approved an increase in capacity at the hospital to help deal with the long waiting list.
The £14 million project will see two additional operating theatres, two procedure rooms and a 12-bed ward for patients who require extended stays in care built on the site.
The trust also hopes the project will help to “future proof” the hospital for a growth in population and changes in demographic in the district.
Volunteers donate life-saving equipment to Harrogate hospital baby unitVolunteers have donated life-saving equipment to Harrogate hospital’s baby unit.
The Friends of Harrogate Hospital raised £11,000 to purchase a new video laryngoscope for the special care baby unit to help babies who require ventilation.
The new equipment will make it easier for staff to see inside the mouth and throat to intubate babies, allowing for an inspection of a patient’s airways before a breathing tube is inserted.
Vicky Lister, head matron at the special care baby unit, said:
“We would like to give heartfelt thanks for the amazing video laryngoscope which was donated to the special care baby unit by the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.
“This piece of equipment will help support doctors when intubating newborns and very young babies whose airways can be difficult to manage due to their small size.
“We looking forward to making use of this equipment when the need arises.”
John Fox, chair of the Friends of Harrogate Hospital, said:
“The Friends are highly delighted that after three years, we are back in action supporting Harrogate hospital and its patients.
“We know the video laryngoscope will be extremely useful to the special care baby unit in a range of clinical circumstances involving premature birth babies.
“I would like to thank those who have helped to fund this vital equipment on behalf of the Friends of Harrogate Hospital.”
Read more:
- Union predicts some Harrogate district schools will close due to strike
- First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital
Nurses and ambulance workers set to strike in Harrogate on same day
Nurses and ambulance workers in the Harrogate district are set to strike on the same day in just over two weeks’ time.
Picket lines could be organised within yards of each other on Lancaster Park Road in Harrogate, where the hospital and the ambulance station are both located.
Unless strikes are averted, the Royal College of Nursing plans to carry out two days of industrial action on February 6 and 7.
Unite has scheduled another ambulance strike in Harrogate on February 6.
Ambulance workers striking in Harrogate this year.
There is also the prospect of schools being affected on February 1, when members of the National Education Union plan to strike before staging further walk-outs in February and March. A union official has predicted some schools will have to close.
Sandy Lay, a nurse at Harrogate District Hospital and a Liberal Democrat councillor representing Otley and Yeadon on Leeds City Council, told a full council meeting on Wednesday the government rather than striking nurses were harming patients.
But he added arrangement for patient care were often better on strike days than non-strike days because minimum service levels were in place,
He said:
“We want minimum service levels and minimum staff levels, but it has to be every day, not just on strike days.”
Hospital: ‘regrettable some services have been affected’
Asked what impact this week’s strikes had had on the hospital, and whether it would amend its plans for future strikes, a spokesman for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Comprehensive plans are in place to maintain the safety of patients requiring our services during the Royal College of Nursing’s industrial action.
“We are committed to providing the best possible levels of healthcare in any eventuality, and as ever, during the industrial action our focus has been on maintaining the safety of our patients.
“Whilst it is regrettable that some of our services have been affected by industrial action, we have ensured that essential services have remained available. Whilst we have been operating at reduced staffing levels in a number of areas such as inpatient wards, we worked with the RCN to ensure that we had sufficient nursing staff working to maintain patient safety.
“During the industrial action we have rescheduled appointments where it has been necessary. We have worked with the RCN to ensure that our services have remained safe.
“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and respect those who have chosen to take part in industrial action. We want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.”
Read more:
- Union predicts some Harrogate district schools will close due to strike
- First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital
Harrogate hospital pays six-figure sum to patient left severely disabled
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has paid a six-figure sum to a patient who suffered a stoke and cardiac arrest after an operation, leaving him severely disabled.
The trust and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust were found jointly responsible for the treatment of the 74-year-old patient, who suffered a minor stroke in January 2016.
Having developed some slurring of speech and a headache, he was taken to Harrogate District Hospital by ambulance, where he was admitted to the stroke unit and underwent a CT scan of the head.
As part of the legal case against the two trusts, solicitors acting on behalf of the man made several allegations of negligence. It was alleged imaging was wrongly reported and surgery was unnecessarily performed.
During the surgery the patient suffered a stroke and later a cardiac arrest from which he was successfully resuscitated. He was left severely disabled and brain damaged.
Solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal, a specialist in medical negligence claims at Hudgell Solicitors, led the legal case on behalf of the patient, whose daughter was appointed his deputy by the Court of Protection to manage her father’s affairs.
Ms Maliakal alleged the operation had been carried out without the patient or his family being fully informed of the risks involved, and without being informed that the benefits of surgery were small. She said the case centred on two key aspects of care and treatment:
“Firstly, there was no need for surgical intervention and, had my client not undergone surgery, he would have avoided the stroke which occurred during surgery and the later cardiac arrest.
“Secondly, he was inadequately consented over the decision to operate and, given doubts about his mental capacity to consent, his family were not consulted over the decision either.
“Had an appropriate discussion taken place regarding the relative risks and benefits, neither my client nor his family would have consented.
Read more:
- First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital
- Harrogate district police inspector reveals local crime hotspots
Ms Maliakal (pictured above) added:
“Whilst our medical experts felt that he may well have gone on to suffer further strokes in the near future, had he not undergone the surgery, they were of the opinion that he would not have been left as profoundly disabled as he is now.
“He has been left with a catastrophic injury. He is paralysed, has little vision in his right eye and reduced vision in his left eye. He is unable to talk, he is doubly incontinent, needs to be fed through a tube and requires hoists to be moved. He now lives permanently in a nursing home.”
‘Denied liability’
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust agreed a six-figure sum for damages. The precise amount has not been revealed.
The compensation agreed covers the cost of future care, nursing home fees, private medical treatment, medication expenses and aids and equipment.
Mrs Maliakal added:
“This was a hard fought case. Initially both trusts denied liability and it was only after court proceedings were commenced that settlement discussions took place. The negligent treatment left my client severely disabled, and in need of round the clock care, which could and should have been avoided.
“As part of our investigations into the case we instructed independent medical experts, including a vascular surgeon, a stroke physician and neuroradiologist. The Trusts agreed to compensate
A joint statement for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
First ever nurses’ strike begins at Harrogate hospital“The trusts sincerely regret the difficulties experienced by the claimant and are pleased to have been able to reach an amicable compromise of his claim. The trusts wish the claimant and his family well for the future.”
Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital have gone on strike today for the first time ever.
A picket line is in place outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road for the first of two 12-hour strikes called by the Royal College of Nursing.
Surgical nurses, paediatric nurses and accident and emergency nurses were among those taking part in this morning’s industrial action. Some passing vehicles sounded their horns in support of the strikers.
Amanda Brown and Andy Law, RCN officers from Leeds who joined Harrogate nurses on the picket line this morning, told the Stray Ferret the action was necessary because the NHS is “broken”.
Mr Law added the NHS was short of 47,000 nurses — up by 7,000 on a year ago.
Although the strike will disrupt some services for patients, Ms Brown said people requiring urgent care would not be affected:
“We’ve ensured staffing levels are safe.”
Today’s action is the latest wave of industrial action in the Harrogate district. Ambulance workers, rail workers and postal workers have all been on strike this winter.
Pat Cullen, the RCN’s general secretary and chief executive, has warned the strikes could escalate in the weeks ahead if a settlement isn’t reached.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay has said “unaffordable” pay rises for nurses would prevent investment in the NHS.
Read more:
Why are nurses going on strike in Harrogate?
Nurses working at Harrogate District Hospital will take part in industrial action on Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19 due to a pay and conditions dispute with the government that has rumbled on all winter.
It’s taking place after members of the Royal College of Nursing union who work for Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust voted to strike last year.
Harrogate is one of 70 trusts in England that will strike as part of the largest organised action in NHS history.
Here is everything you need to know about the nurses strike.
When is the strike?
The strikes will take place from 7.15am to 8.15pm on both days and there will be a picket line outside the hospital on Lancaster Park Road.
Two days of strikes were held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20 but Harrogate nurses did not take part.
What services will be affected?
During the December strikes, thousands of appointments across the country were cancelled or postponed. A trust spokesperson said the hospital will contact patients that have appointments on strike days to let them know if they are still going ahead.
All life-preserving treatment must be provided and nurses in intensive and emergency care will be expected to continue working.
Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.
However, routine operations such as hip or knee replacements are likely to be affected.
A trust spokesperson said:
“We are working to ensure there is safe patient care and that emergency services continue to operate during any industrial action, and have plans in place to mitigate the impact of disruption on direct patient care.
“If you have an appointment or operation that is scheduled on a proposed strike day we would kindly ask you to be patient and we will notify you as soon as possible to confirm if your consultation or treatment will be affected.
“The industrial action will see a picket line outside our hospital in Harrogate and we will be working with local RCN representatives to minimise any disruption this may cause for residents in the vicinity and visitors to our hospital.”
Why are nurses striking?
According to the royal college, 25,000 nursing staff around the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register last year. It’s left hospitals with staff shortages which the union feels has compromised patient safety.
The union argues that many people are leaving the profession or deciding to work for private providers due to low pay within the NHS. It has repeatedly called for a pay increase of 5% above inflation.
However, the government says this increase would be unaffordable to tax payers.
Royal College of Nursing general secretary and chief executive, Pat Cullan, said:
“The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January. I do not wish to prolong this dispute but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.
“The public support has been heart-warming and I am more convinced than ever that this is the right thing to do for patients and the future of the NHS.
“The voice of nursing will not be ignored. Staff shortages and low pay make patient care unsafe – the sooner ministers come to the negotiating table, the sooner this can be resolved. I will not dig in, if they don’t dig in.”
When will the dispute be resolved?
The royal college is yet to reach an agreement with the government over the dispute but talks have been ongoing since December’s strikes.
The government has raised the possibility of a one-off hardship payment to nursing staff but an offer has not been made.
Read more:
- Ambulance workers form picket line in Harrogate
- Picket line at Harrogate station as latest RMT strikes near end
In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
“The door has always been open to talk about the things that nurses want to talk about.”
A trust spokesperson said:
Nurses at Harrogate hospital set for first strike“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.
“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.”
Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital are set to go on strike for the first time.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing will walk out on Wednesday (January 18) and Thursday (January 19) next week.
The strike, which is the first national walkout by the royal college, is being held after a dispute with government over pay and conditions.
Officials at Harrogate District Hospital said they were working to ensure the walkout causes “minimal disruption” to patient care.
The royal college said the move was part of an escalation of industrial action.
Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary and chief executive, said:
“The government had the opportunity to end this dispute before Christmas but instead they have chosen to push nursing staff out into the cold again in January.
“I do not wish to prolong this dispute, but the Prime Minister has left us with no choice.”
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:
“While pay is a matter for Government and the trade unions, we greatly value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering high quality patient care to all those who need it.
“We understand the importance of good pay and conditions for individuals and their families, as well as wider NHS staff retention and recruitment.
“We are working to ensure there is minimal disruption to patient care and that emergency services continue to operate as normal should any strike action take place, and have tried and tested plans in place to manage any disruption.
“We are committed to keeping disruption to services to a minimum, and any members of the public that need care should continue to come forward as normal.
“If you have an appointment or operation that is scheduled on a proposed strike day we would kindly ask you to be patient and we will notify you as soon as possible to confirm if your consultation or treatment will be affected.”
Read more:
- Ambulance workers form picket line in Harrogate
- Picket line at Harrogate station as latest RMT strikes near end
Strikes hit Harrogate district
The walkout are set to become the latest to hit the Harrogate district.
Staff from Yorkshire Ambulance Service staged a 24-hour walkout on Wednesday.
A picket line was formed at Harrogate Ambulance Station on Lancaster Park Road close to the hospital.
It was the second time staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have gone on strike in the last month, although they continued to respond to the most serious category one calls.
Meanwhile, the RMT Union staged another strike outside Harrogate Railway Station in the latest wave of walkouts by rail workers last Friday.
Ambulance workers form picket line in Harrogate todayStriking ambulance workers are operating a picket line in Harrogate today.
Members of the GMB union began their 24-hour action at Harrogate Ambulance Station, which is on Lancaster Park Road close to the hospital, at midnight.
They were joined by members of Unison at noon.
It is the second time staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have gone on strike in the last month, although they continue to respond to the most serious category one calls.
GMB rep and paramedic Neil Summers told the Stray Ferret the state of the NHS was the main reason for the industrial action. He said:
“We are literally sitting outside hospitals with patients in our ambulances for hours and hours because they have nowhere to go.
“The hospitals are full and it means we are not able to do our jobs. We hear calls for cardiac arrests and can’t do anything.”
Todays picket line
Mr Summers said York Hospital was particularly bad but paramedics could still be waiting at Harrogate District Hospital for “up to three or four hours”.
He said there needed to be greater investment in the NHS as well as social care to ease problems caused by bed-blocking.
He said pay was also a concern, as many staff had not had an increase in wages for years.
“My pay isn’t terrible but some people’s is appalling.”
Picket line Jan 2023
The pickets have been joined today by local campaigner Lindis Percy, a former nurse, midwife and health visitor. She said:
“What’s going on in the the health service is shocking and this government has caused it.”
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said this morning the NHS is under “very severe pressure”.
He added the government has announced further investment for emergency departments, as well as looking into ways of targeting how to get patients who are fit to leave into social care.
Read more:
- Ambulance workers in Harrogate district begin strike
- Picket line at Harrogate station as latest RMT strikes near end
Harrogate hospital A&E waiting times improve but strikes loom
Accident and emergency department waiting times at Harrogate District Hospital have improved since the Christmas peak but the hospital remains under “considerable pressure” with almost no unoccupied beds available and two days of strike action expected next week.
A challenging winter at the hospital on Lancaster Park Road has seen a higher than average number of admissions to its A&E department as well as a fresh wave of covid and flu inpatients.
The hospital will be under further pressure on January 18 and 19 when members of the Royal College of Nurses strike over pay and conditions.
Workers at Yorkshire Ambulance Service are also expected to walk out today as part of a 24-hour strike.
Members of the royal college who work for Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust are on the list for the second wave of action in an escalation of its pay dispute with the government.
Two days of strikes were held in England, Northern Ireland and Wales on December 15 and 20 but Harrogate nurses did not take part.
Visitors to A&E have experienced long waiting times as healthcare staff have prioritised patients with serious and life-threatening conditions.
Read more:
- Harrogate hospital nurses to go on strike next month
- Operations cancelled after leak at Harrogate hospital
Between December 19 and January 1 a total of 1,993 people attended A&E, an average of 142 a day.
Of these, 524 were then admitted to the hospital for further treatment.
However, since the new year the average number of daily visitors to A&E has fallen to 127, helping to reduce waiting times and ease the burden on under-pressure staff.
The overall situation at the hospital also worsened due to the high number of beds filled with patients suffering with covid but since January 4 that figure has fallen from 22 to 17.
The number of patients with flu has also dropped to single digits from over 30 last week.
A trust spokesperson said the fall in covid and flu patients has “made flow through our hospitals a little easier”.
To further ease pressure at A+E, the hospital recently introduced a new “streaming model” for minor injuries so staff can focus on patients with more serious conditions.
Last Friday, the hospital had its largest-ever discharge day with 81 patients returning to their homes or care home.
The spokesperson said:
“We would like to thank everyone involved at HDFT and our partners in social care who helped us which made the weekend a lot easier.”
Two free beds
But despite an improving situation with more free beds in certain wards, the spokesperson said that yesterday there was just two unoccupied beds out of 298.
They added there are still many patients who are able to return home but cannot as they are waiting to be placed into a care home or home.
The spokesperson said:
“We would ask for the families of patients to help us support their loved one’s discharge home as soon as their medical condition allows.
“For people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting our emergency department, unless it’s a life-threatening or severe illness or injury, we would ask them to contact NHS 111 first either by calling or going online. 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.
“People with life-threatening illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and anyone who arrives at A&E without calling NHS 111 will still receive medical care, with those needing emergency treatment prioritised.”