An event for people affected by Parkinson’s Disease will be held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on Wednesday, January 18. 

The event, the first of its kind to be organised by the Parkinson’s team from Harrogate District Hospital, will run from 4 till 6pm and is open to everyone with Parkinson’s, their relatives and their carers. 

Parkinson’s Disease is a brain disorder that typically causes involuntary movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. Other symptoms can include depression, anxiety, insomnia, and memory problems. 

The event will feature a research update, a singing session and demonstration, artwork by people affected by Parkinson’s, interactive displays, and a chance to meet the hospital’s Parkinson’s team. 

Organiser Dr Rosaria Buccoliero, who is a consultant neurologist at the hospital, said:

“The importance of this event is for Parkinson’s patients to be part of a more extensive community and to feel being supported.  

“Our goal is to reinforce the relation between the hospital Parkinson’s service professionals, local Parkinsons’ groups, such as Parkinson’s UK and Dementia Forward, and Parkinson’s patients.” 

To book a place, call Christine on 01423 521064 or email john.sheepy@harrogateparkinsons.co.uk.

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital ‘almost completely full on a daily basis‘
• New choir to offer therapy to people with Parkinson’s in Harrogate district

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

I despair with the latest idea from the Prime Minister. 

The concept of making all children study maths to age 18 shows how out of touch with reality Rishi Sunak is. Apart from the fact that this would cause chaos in schools at a time when there are so many other issues that the public want sorting out, beggars’ belief. 

As a retired teacher and a life-long conservative. I would love to get Rishi in a room and give him a verbal thrashing. This ’intellectual’ ideal of maths to age 18 does not square with the reality that not all children are academic, and that there is a need for more practical and vocational training. Already in a post pandemic era there are thousands of young people who are disaffected and uninspired by the present education system. 

This is partly due to rigid and inflexible curricula and staff protocols. The PM’s priority should be setting up a system like the pandemic ‘Nightingale Hospitals’ to take the ‘bed blockers’ out of hospitals, thus also reducing the blockages at A&E and freeing up ambulances. 

We clearly need to train more doctors and nurses, but not every nurse needs a degree and perhaps going back to ‘on the ward’ training with paid trainees is the answer. 

As for all the strikes such as rail workers and postal workers, the government needs to be more proactive in getting a resolution. Teaching maths to age 18 will not solve any of these issues.

Brian Souter, Starbeck

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• Stray Views: Where is green energy in Maltkiln plans?
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Another hospital for Harrogate should be built

Is there any reason why another hospital cannot be built instead of all the available land being used for housing?

I remember people saying it was a good idea for “another” hospital when it was proposed to demolish the general. It was said the hospital was getting a bit tatty, but there was surprise when land was sold for housing and not another hospital. 

Also Carlton Lodge on Leeds Road which was used in addition for maternity was sold and everything – and I mean everything – was to be in the new district hospital. 

There really should be another hospital. Not a bigger one, another one.

Anne Smith, Pannal

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Harrogate District Hospital has been left with a repair bill after vandals caused thousands of pounds’ worth of flood damage. 

The perpetrators pulled away panelling behind a men’s toilet sink and ripped pipework off the wall, causing significant flooding to the antenatal department, the ground-floor corridor in the Strayside wing and several offices. 

The attack was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, December 27.

As a result, there was damage to equipment stored in the area and flooring in the departments needs to be replaced. 

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust estimates the clean-up and repair operation – which includes hiring equipment to dry the areas out – will cost £4,000-£6,000, which it said “could be used for patient care rather than repairing damage caused by vandals”. 

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“Such anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and whilst the safety of the patients in our care was unaffected, it did cause additional work for our staff when they should be focused on patient care. Repairs also have a financial implication for our trust. 

“The people responsible were recorded on a CCTV camera within our hospital and the incident was reported to the police.”

Harrogate District Hospital has apologised after cancelling patients’ planned surgeries with less than 24 hours’ notice during the Christmas break.

One patient, who asked not to be named, said she was due to have essential orthopaedic surgery last Friday, December 30.

However, she received a call at lunchtime on Thursday to say there had been a leak and the operating theatre was out of use.

Due to go into hospital at 7am the next day, she instead had her surgery cancelled and no new date provided.

She told the Stray Ferret:

“The not knowing is really uncomfortable. I understand that these things happen, but why can’t they reschedule the surgeries out to other hospitals or get us some more information?

“The problem was discovered last week. They’ve had a week to make arrangements and it’s still not sorted.”

Read more:

• Harrogate hospital nurses to go on strike next month
• 500 Harrogate hospital staff apply for cost-of-living hardship fund

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the last-minute cancellation was down to a water leak the basement, near the air handling units for the operating theatre.

A spokesperson said:

“Whilst the leak was quickly repaired and minimal damage occurred, the basement needed to be dried and the air handling units inspected by a specialist engineer to ensure they were safe to use.

“Unfortunately, as the air handling units provide ventilation and filter the air within our main operating theatres, it was necessary to cancel some, but not all, elective surgery that had been planned for that day.

“We are committed to providing the best possible healthcare for our community and as a priority we have now re-arranged the non-critical operations that were cancelled. We contacted all those affected, but we would like to reiterate our apologies for having to re-arrange their surgery.

“The air handling units have been inspected and passed checks, and planned activity in our operating theatres has been taking place this week.”

The patient, who is self-employed and works in the wedding industry, said she had been waiting for the last year to get a date for her surgery.

She had been offered a slot in the summer but, as it was at the height of the season, she had to turn it down or face losing all her business for the year.

She was then offered the December date around eight weeks ago. The new date had been ideal, she said, as it would give her the required time to recover before this year’s wedding season began in spring.

She said:

“It’s 12 weeks’ recovery – that’s why it has such a big impact when it’s postponed, because you have got to rearrange your whole life.

“Our season starts in April. I have a very physical job and I need to be able to move around.

“My husband had taken time off work. He’s a solicitor and hadn’t booked in any appointments this week so he could be at home to help me.

“Cancelling like this has massive implications for people’s lives.”

Harrogate District Hospital is ‘almost completely full on a daily basis” and has urged patients’ families to help free beds.

Hospital officials appealed for help today amid growing concerns about the NHS’ ability to cope with winter pressures.

More than a dozen NHS trusts and ambulance services declared critical incidents over the festive period. Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, has said up to 500 people could be dying each week because of delays to emergency care.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has not declared a critical incident but a spokesman said 50 patients were currently unable to leave because they were waiting to be allocated care or a placement.

This bed-blocking was compounding “significant pressure due to the number of people requiring our help and the challenges of a difficult winter”, the spokesman said.

He added:

“Over bank holidays, our emergency department is usually busier than normal, and this has been the case over the period since Christmas.

“Our hospital is also affected by the high numbers of covid and flu patients we are currently caring for. These patients often require a longer stay in hospital before they can return to care or residential homes.

“This, in addition to around 50 patients who are waiting to have care or a placement allocated so they can leave our hospital, means Harrogate District Hospital is almost completely full on a daily basis.”

The emergency department at Harrogate District Hospital.

The spokesman said this was leading to “long waits for beds to become available” and visitors with less urgent issues experiencing longer waiting times.

He added:

“We do know that when patients are starting to improve and no longer require hospital care, the remainder of their recovery happens much quicker in their own homes.

“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.

“Some patients may be fit to be discharged to their own home, but still require additional support to help them in their recovery. Our teams will work with patients and their families to support them as best we can.”

The spokesman also appealed to families to show understanding if the hospital had to return care home patients to different care homes for short periods.

He reiterated the message to only visit the emergency department for life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries.

Nurses at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital will go on strike next month as part of a national walkout.

The Royal College of Nursing today announced further industrial action on January 18 and 19.

It comes shortly after nurses walked out at hospitals across England for two days this month in a dispute over pay and conditions.

Locally, staff at Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust took strike action on December 15 and 20 — but Harrogate did not take part.

This time, however, nurses at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust will walk out as the RCN looks to escalate 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.”

The Stray Ferret has approached the trust for a response to the announcement.

However, previously managers at Harrogate hospital pledged to minimise the disruption caused by the walkouts and urged patients to continue to come forward for care.

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said:

“While pay is a matter for government and the trade unions, we value our staff and want to see a resolution as soon as possible to ensure we can continue to focus on delivering world class 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 if strike action at HDFT is confirmed and your treatment will be affected.”

Read more:

• Ambulance workers in Harrogate district begin strike
• Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes

The walkouts are set to become the latest to hit the Harrogate district.

Rail and postal workers staged action this month, which has affected travel and deliveries over Christmas.

Meanwhile, Yorkshire Ambulance Service set up a picket line on Lancaster Park Road as staff staged a 24 hour strike yesterday.

A picket line is in place outside Harrogate Ambulance Station today in the latest round of strikes.

Staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have walked out as part of a national dispute over pay and conditions. A second day of strikes is due to take place on December 28.

Vehicles tooted their horns in support of members of the GMB union picketing on Lancaster Park Road, which is on the same street at Harrogate Disrict Hospital.

Nurses and firefighters have also showed their support and a local cafe dropped off hot chocolate to strikers shivering besides a fire.

Union organiser Katherine Mitchell told the Stray Ferret GMB staff were striking today from one minute past midnight until 10pm. Ms Mitchell said members of Unison were due to join the action at noon today.

She said about 60 staff were employed at Harrogate Ambulance Station and they would continue to respond to the most serious category one incidents during the strike. Some strikers had already been called in to deal with such incidents, she added.

Several staff said the dispute was not only about pay but also about conditions and the state of the NHS. One person said they had waited four hours outside Harrogate District Hospital recently with a patient because the hospital did not have enough staff to escort the person away.

Health Secretary Steve Barclay said this morning NHS contingency plans would not cover all 999 calls and that “ambulance unions have taken a conscious choice to inflict harm on patients” — which drew an angry response from union leaders.

Rail and postal workers in the Harrogate district have been on strike this winter, but Harrogate District Hospital was not included in the first two days of nurses strikes. Firefighters are expected to be balloted in the new year over strike action.

Read more:

• No walkout at Harrogate hospital as part of nurses strike
• Harrogate district braced for rail and postal strikes

Harrogate hospital bosses have said plans are in place to “minimise” the impact of forthcoming ambulance strikes.

Staff at Yorkshire Ambulance Service will walk out tomorrow (December 21) and next Wednesday (December 28) for 24 hours in a dispute over pay.

The move is part of a wave of industrial action taking place across England throughout the winter, with rail staff and nurses also staging walkouts.

In response to the strikes by ambulance workers, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has urged patients to continue to come forward for care.

A spokesperson for the hospital trust said:

“We are working hard to keep patients safe during strikes, while delivering the best care possible, and patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. 

“Nobody should put off seeking urgent or emergency care during the strikes, with key services continuing to operate.”

The trust added that it has contingency plans in place in accident and emergency, as well as measures to discharge patients, during the days of strike action.

It added:

“The safety of our patients is our utmost priority and we have contingency plans in place to minimise any impact industrial action will have.

“For instance, additional staff will be on duty in our emergency department on these days to manage any increase in walk-in attendances for those people unable to travel to hospital by ambulance.

“We also have alternative arrangements in place to help manage the discharge of patients who are unable to make their own travel arrangements so that they can leave our hospital in a timely manner.”

Harrogate District Hospital, Lancaster Park Road.

Meanwhile, managers at Yorkshire Ambulance Service have urged the public to only call 999 for an ambulance for life-threatening conditions or injuries amid stretched resources during strike action.

An agreement is in place between the unions and the service to cover life-threatening calls.

Nick Smith, executive director of operations at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:

“With continued operational pressures and the added challenge of industrial action, we will have less resources available to respond.  

“Services will be severely disrupted, with the likelihood of significant delays.”

Ambulance staff ‘had enough’

Union membership in

Yorkshire Ambulance Service employs 7,200 staff, of which about 4,000 belong to either Unison or the GMB unions.

It is one of nine ambulance trusts across the country whose workers have voted to strike.

Paramedics, emergency care assistants and call handlers will be among those planning to walk out tomorrow.

Staff at the ambulance trust voted to stage the strike in protest at a 4% government pay award.

Rachael Harrison, GMB Union general secretary, said workers have “had enough”.

She said:

“The last thing they want to do is take strike action, but the government has left them with no choice.

“(Health Secretary) Steve Barclay needs to listen and engage with us about pay. If he can’t talk to us about this most basic workforce issue, what on earth is he Health Secretary for?

“The government could stop this strike in a heartbeat – but they need to wake up and start negotiating on pay.”

The special care baby unit at Harrogate District Hospital has received a consignment of toys in time for Christmas.

Harrogate Convention Centre donated dolls and a toy kitchen, which were donated by exhibitors at the Harrogate International Nursery Fair it hosted this year.

The convention centre has helped event organisers and exhibitors to donate toys, food and other event supplies and display samples to local schools, hospitals, homeless people and charities over the years.

Sally Baxter, unit sister at the special care baby unit, which cares for sick and preterm infants, said:

“It means so much to the families who have a baby on the unit that also have young siblings.

“The toys will really help make our parents’ experience on the unit so much better in what is a very stressful time for them. Thank you once again, it makes such a difference.”

The donated toy kitchen

 This year’s Harrogate International Nursery Fair took up an additional hall at the convention centre. It attracted 140 exhibitors and visitors from over 15 countries.

Event organiser Adrian Sneyd said:

“Harrogate has been home to our nursery trade show annually for over five decades with around 4,000 participants enjoying the town’s hospitality each year.

“We are delighted that our exhibitors have donated toys for the benefit of local families and their babies.”

Paula Lorimer, director of the convention centre, said:

“As a member of the community and especially in this festive season in the midst of the cost of living crisis, we are delighted to do what we can to help make sure those in need can benefit from the event industry.”

Read more:

• New board to review Harrogate Convention Centre operating model
• Viper Rooms: council issues statement after repossessing Harrogate nightclub

Around 500 Harrogate District Hospital staff have applied for a cost-of-living hardship fund, which has been described as a “signal” of the financial pressure that healthcare workers are under.

Anyone employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) or Harrogate Integrated Facilities (HIF) is eligible to apply for a one-off £500 payment. A panel meets each week to consider applications.

The number of people who have applied for the payment was revealed yesterday by HDFT acting chief executive Jonathan Coulter at the trust’s monthly board of directors meeting in Harrogate.

Between HDFT and HIF, there are around 5,000 staff, with the number of hardship fund applications indicating around 10% are currently struggling financially due to increased fuel, food and energy costs.

Mr Coulter said:

“It is a signal of some of the difficulties some of our colleagues are under in terms of the national situation. We will continue to watch out for those people.”

Other initiatives available for staff include being able to sell holiday entitlements to earn extra money. The trust also advises how to use food banks and provides information on managing finances.

Read more:

• No walkout at Harrogate hospital as part of nurses strike
• Women live 10 years longer in Harrogate than Knaresborough, report shows
• Harrogate hospital pledges ‘minimal disruption’ as nurses’ strike looms

At a meeting in September, Wallace Sampson, hospital trust board member and chief executive of Harrogate Borough Council, said he had “mixed feelings” about staff being able to sell annual leave as he believes it is “very much needed” to help with their wellbeing.

The number of staff struggling to make ends meet comes at a time when nurses are preparing to strike for the first time in over 100 years.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is asking for a 19% pay rise but the government says this is unaffordable.

Harrogate members of the RCN voted to strike but Mr Coulter said that Harrogate is not on the list for the first wave of action on December 15th and December 20th.

Mr Coulter added:

“We will continue to support colleagues and support trade unions. 

“It’s important that we do value our colleagues in terms of national negotiations or pay awards and we recognise the link between how people feel and are recognised with the ability to recruit and retain staff. We will watch this space but there won’t be any [industrial] action before Christmas.”