Harrogate district hospital Archives - Page 17 of 49

No walkout at Harrogate hospital as part of nurses strike

No strikes will take place at Harrogate District Hospital next month when nurses stage a national walkout.

The Royal College of Nursing will carry out industrial action at hospitals across the UK over a dispute over pay with the government on December 15 and 20.

Locally, staff will strike at Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Leeds Community Healthcare Trust. However, no action will be taken at Harrogate in this round of strikes.

Members of the union will walkout at half of the locations in England where the legal mandate for strikes was secured in November.

However, the RCN has warned that more staff could take industrial action in January if negotiations with government are not held.

A spokesperson for the union told the Stray Ferret last week that the dates in December were the first phase of strikes and more could be carried out if an agreement is not reached.

They said:

“Not all members at employers where there is a mandate to strike will be called to strike on these first two dates.

“Phase one could be just the beginning of a longer period of strike action.”

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have pledged “minimal disruption” should any walkout take place at future strikes.

A spokesperson for HDFT 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.”

A list of health trusts affected by strikes is available here.

Risk that Harrogate hospital home care service could ‘distort the market’

A plan by Harrogate hospital to introduce a home care service in a bid to free up bed space could “distort the market”, says a councillor.

Cllr Michael Harrison, who is cabinet member for adult care at North Yorkshire County Council, said the authority had already had to prevent one social care provider from folding this week.

It comes as officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust revealed in September that they want to trial the service as the hospital was unable to discharge medically fit patients because of a lack of private care services.

However, Cllr Harrison told the county council’s Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee last week that there was a risk the move could cause problems because the health service would be competing for staff with other providers.

Cllr Harrison said:

“I do think there is a real risk of distorting the market.

“Already this week, the county council have stepped in to prevent one domiciliary care provider from folding and I know that we are working on over 30 packages of care that have been handed back this week.

“The pressures out there are very tangible.”

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, speaking at Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency committee.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of the hospital trust, said it was not the intention for the hospital to take work away from private care providers.

He added that he was aware the move could look critical of the care sector, particularly because the health service has been “well funded for some years”.

He said:

“We are absolutely not trying to be critical or trying to take any work away.

“We are just trying to find a solution. We are working well with the team at the county council to work this through rather than doing anything that would upset that.

“We are really aware of the issues, but we are just trying to collectively make it better.”

Mr Coulter added the hospital was already carrying out interviews for the service, but stressed that it would still be a pilot at this stage.

He said:

“I know there is some concern that we could distort the market because the NHS pays a bit more than other areas, that is an issue.

“But, at the moment, we have said this is a six-month pilot and we will see how it goes.”

The trust’s home care service will initially run as a six-month trial and cost around £146,000 to provide care for 36 patients.

If the trial is a success, it is estimated around 15 patients who otherwise would be stuck in hospital could be moved back into their own homes each day.

Harrogate hospital pledges ‘minimal disruption’ as nurses’ strike looms

People who need care at Harrogate hospital should continue to come forward despite the threat of industrial action, health officials have said.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said it has yet to be notified officially that its nursing staff will strike next month.

It comes as the Royal College of Nursing confirmed a national walkout will take place on December 15 and 20 over a pay dispute with the government.

A spokesperson for the RCN told the Stray Ferret exact locations for the strikes will be revealed next week and that next month will be the first phase of industrial action.

They added:

“Not all members at employers where there is a mandate to strike will be called to strike on these first two dates.

“Phase one could be just the beginning of a longer period of strike action.”

Despite the threat of a walkout, officials at Harrogate hospital have urged people to continue to come forward for care if they require it.

The trust said that those who have an operation on the planned strike days will be notified if their treatment is affected.

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.”

1,300 people waiting a year for operations at Harrogate hospital, says chief executive

Harrogate District Hospital has 1,300 people waiting more than a year for an operation.

Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said the number of patients waiting was a legacy from the covid pandemic.

The trust estimates that it currently has a total waiting list of 25,000 people – an increase of 7,000 before covid.

Mr Coulter said part of the reason for the increase is because the hospital halted some operations during the pandemic.

He told a Harrogate and Knaresborough area constituency meeting of North Yorkshire County Council yesterday:

“We never ever had people waiting over a year for planned care at all in Harrogate.

“Most people were seen within four months. That was the majority.

“We now have 1,300 people waiting over a year for their operation or their treatment. We did go over two years in some cases, but that has now come down.”

Mr Coulter told the meeting that the hospital expected to have no patient waiting more than a year for an operation by the end of 2023.

He added that the trust board had 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.

Mr Coulter said:

“We will be going through that process next year to get us some more capacity on the site.”

Plea for Harrogate hospital visitors to wear masks after people refuse to follow guidance

Health bosses have issued a plea to visitors to Harrogate District Hospital to wear face masks amid a growing number of people refusing to follow guidance.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said they had seen increasing number of people being verbally aggressive towards staff when they are asked to wear a face mask or replace one after removing it.

The plea comes as the hospital has warned that covid remains a “significant threat” and that it is seeing further admissions for the virus and flu going into winter.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, medical director at HDFT said:

“We may no longer be at the height of the pandemic, but covid continues to be a threat for the people in our care and we must do all we can to protect them and the staff who look after them.

“Should a patient contract covid from a visitor, it can lead to a prolonged stay at the hospital due to the need for them isolate. This can impact on bed availability for people needing other forms of treatment.

“Wearing a face mask is simple to do and can make a real difference. If you are asked to wear a mask, please remember it is for the protection of the loved one you are visiting. We are merely asking visitors to follow mask wearing guidance in certain areas of our hospital and we will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour towards our staff at HDFT.

“I would also encourage anyone who is eligible to get a covid booster and a flu vaccination to do so to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

Visitors to inpatient wards are expected to wear masks as part of hospital guidance unless they are exempt.

The Harrogate district covid infection rate is currently 35 cases per 100,000 people.

Hospital fundraiser extraordinaire Andy Wilkinson steps down after 45 years

A fundraiser who has helped raise more than £2.7m for Harrogate District Hospital has stood down as chairman of a volunteer group.

The Friends of Harrogate Hospital have generated more than £2.7m over the last 56 years to buy thousands of pieces of equipment for the hospital that could not be purchased through the NHS budget.

Wing commander Andy Wilkinson has been an active volunteer with the friends for nearly 45 years, with the majority of years as the group’s chairman.

Mr Wilkinson has been at the heart of everything from coffee mornings to major events like the Big Picnic. He said:

“The generosity of everyone has made it thoroughly enjoyable.

“We’ve done our best to raise money to help people. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed doing it and I hope it can go on from strength to strength.”

In recent years, the friends have funded relatives’ rooms on the children’s wards so parents of sick children have somewhere to stay, as well as on the intensive therapy unit and the stroke unit.

The group has also paid for a light sensory unit, a friends’ garden, and a paediatric outpatients waiting room.

One of its biggest campaigns saw it raise £330,000 to house an MRI scanner in 2005. More than 1,000 patients have benefited from that every year since. Mr Wilkinson said:

“We’re a good news organisation. And it brings a boost to the staff, to be supported by local people. They know that everybody is backing them.

“We have a hospital that’s one of the best in the country. That’s down to the generosity of the people of Harrogate who have donated.”

Greatest achievement

Mr Wilkinson said his greatest achievement with the friends was helping to set up a volunteer scheme at the hospital, securing a grant in 2008 to employ someone for three years to recruit volunteers.

He has now passed the reins to new chairman John Fox but will stay on as a volunteer. He said:

“I know that the friends are in good hands, John Fox has been a trustee of the friends before we merged with Harrogate Hospital Community Charity, and has been a very supportive volunteer for many years. John is busy reorganising the voluntary group for the future.”

Mr Fox said:

“We thank Andy for his enduring commitment and dedication to the Friends over many years. He was also a founder governor of the foundation trust. His support for Harrogate hospital is just amazing. I know that the staff have really appreciated his work over many years. He will be a hard act to follow.”

Sarah Armstrong, chair of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said:

“We are extremely grateful for all Andy’s fundraising efforts over many years and his commitment to supporting Harrogate Hospital in making a difference for our patients.”

For more information about the Friends of Harrogate Hospital, contact friendsofhdft@gmail.com

Council awarded £2m to tackle bed blocking in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire County Council has been awarded £2 million to tackle bed blocking in hospitals.

The Department of Health and Social Care announced a £500 million fund to help speed up the discharge of patients across the country.

The county council, which is responsible for adult care, has been granted a total of £2,019,667 of this to increase its social care workforce and increase capacity to take on more patients from hospital.

Two months ago Jonathan Coulter, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said the problem of patients staying in hospital longer than they should because of a lack of private care services was the “biggest issue” the trust faced.

The government said local authorities and health trusts will be free to spend the money on initiatives which have the “greatest impact in their area on reducing discharges into social care”.

Helen Whately, Minister of State for Care, said:

“People should be cared for in the best place for them, but discharge delays mean patients are spending too long in hospital.

“Our discharge fund will get more people cared for in the right place at the right time. We’re asking hospitals and the social care system to work together to help patients and carers too, who often take on a lot of the burden of caring when someone leaves hospital.

“The discharge fund will boost the social care workforce and in turn reduce pressures on the NHS and hospital staff, as it frees up beds and helps improve ambulance handover delays.”

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has already sought to introduce a home care service to free up beds.

A spokesperson for the trust said previously:

“Currently, bed occupancy at our hospitals is around 90%. Due to the increased number of planned operations that are being performed we have more patients occupying beds following their surgery.

“However, bed occupancy is also impacted by patients who no longer require hospital care, but are unable to be discharged as they do not have a suitable location where they can continue their recovery, such as a residential care home, or appropriate home care to support them in their own homes.”

Charity pays for two cancer nurses at Harrogate hospital

A charity has funded two cancer nurses at Harrogate District Hospital in response to fears not enough people can access specialist cancer care.

Macmillan Cancer Support announced today it had spent £214,000 on the two-year posts as part of a £4.5 million investment across Yorkshire and the north-east of England.

The funding will pay for 42 specialist cancer nurses in northern England, of whom two will be employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The development roles will see nurses with an interest in moving into cancer services step into specialist cancer roles.

Noreen Hawkshaw, the Macmillan lead cancer nurse at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We’re facing incredibly challenging workforce issues at the moment and I know Harrogate is not unique with this.

“Undoubtedly the Macmillan investment into the two development roles will ease the pressure on the specialist cancer care we are able to provide for patients by creating more capacity.

Ms Hawkshaw added the investment would “allow nurses the time and space to develop into these specialist cancer nurse roles”, adding:

“We urgently need more of them to meet the rising demand on our services.”

Macmillan said in a statement too many people in the north of England cannot access specialist cancer care and there are too few Macmillan cancer nurse specialists employed across the region.

It said a “crisis in cancer nursing” had left 630,000 people with cancer in the UK with a lack of dedicated support.

2,500 cancer nurses needed

The charity estimates an extra 2,500 specialist cancer nurses are required now.

Heather McLean, Macmillan’s head of partnerships for the north, said:

“Macmillan cancer nurse specialists are the people at the heart of cancer care, this unique role makes a huge difference to people diagnosed with cancer and their families at a very distressing time in their lives.

“There are currently a huge number of specialist cancer nurse vacancies across Yorkshire because it’s increasingly difficult to get people with the right knowledge and skills, who are ready to step into those specialist nursing posts.”

Rachel Moser, the interim programme manager with the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, which is hosting the programme in partnership with Macmillan, on behalf of the four cancer alliances across the north-east and Yorkshire region, said:

“Patients tell us how much they value cancer nurse specialists and the care and support they provide.

“I’m delighted to be leading this programme on behalf of the regional cancer alliances which will help us ensure we have a ready supply of skilled individuals for these crucial roles into the future.”

Harrogate hospital has ‘robust plan’ to tackle winter demand, say officials

Harrogate hospital bosses have given assurances that a ‘robust plan’ is in place for winter as it faces increased demand.

The hospital says it expects to face further pressures from seasonal flu, covid and staff absences.

It also faces long waiting lists for operations and high demand at accident and emergency.

However, a spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the organisation has put a plan in place to cope with demand.

It comes as NHS chiefs wrote to health bosses across the country this week conceding that some hospitals may struggle to cope this winter.

‘Robust winter plan’

In Harrogate, the hospital is currently dealing with a 90% bed occupancy rate, high demand at A&E and a long waiting list for operations.

A spokesperson for HDFT said despite some of the winter pressures, a plan was in place to help maintain services for patients.

They said:

“We have faced and dealt with significant challenges over the last few years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and our recovery from it – in particular, reducing our waiting lists and waiting times for treatment.

“We will undoubtedly face further challenges in the months ahead as winter is always a busy time of the year as we deal with a variety of seasonal infections such as flu, in addition to all other regular activity.

“The trust has a robust winter plan in place to ensure we are able to maintain our services so that our patients’ care is not disrupted and all areas are staffed to safe levels and monitored throughout all shifts.

“During the winter period, staff absences at the trust can create pressure for our teams; for instance, fewer nursing and medical staff means that whilst we are still able to treat our patients for their illness or condition and ensure their safety, we are sometimes not able to provide the level of holistic support that we would like.

“Currently, bed occupancy at our hospitals is around 90%. Due to the increased number of planned operations that are being performed we have more patients occupying beds following their surgery.

“However, bed occupancy is also impacted by patients who no longer require hospital care, but are unable to be discharged as they do not have a suitable location where they can continue their recovery, such as a residential care home, or appropriate home care to support them in their own homes.”

The trust has already sought to introduce a home care service to free up beds and has trialled an emergency department streaming service for less serious injuries and illnesses at A&E.

The hospital also continues to urge people to call 111 for non-urgent illnesses.

It comes as NHS chiefs, regulators and Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, wrote to hospital bosses this week reassuring them that staff would not face disciplinary action if care standards fell due to “significantly increased national pressure”.

The letter said:

“In such challenging times, when you may need to depart from established procedures to care for people, we understand some could be fearful that they will be referred to your regulator.

“Please be assured that your professional code and principles of practice are there to guide and support your judgments and decision-making in all circumstances.

“This includes taking into account local realities and the need at times to adapt practice at times of significantly increased national pressure.”

Harrogate hospital urges visitors to wear masks amid winter covid fears

Harrogate District Hospital has urged people to wear face masks on inpatient wards and practice social distancing amid fears of more covid cases during the winter.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust have reiterated the advice for those visiting wards for the protection of staff and patients.

In a statement, the trust said visitors should follow the guidance in order to prevent the spread of the virus within the hospital.

It said:

“Covid has not gone away and it is important that we protect everyone who enters our hospitals.

“As such, anyone entering inpatient areas, such as wards must wear a mask, ensure they sanitise their hands and maintain social distancing.

“Following these protocols will help us to protect our patients, but also our staff, as reducing the risk of our staff catching covid will ensure our patients’ care is not disrupted.”

The move comes as health bosses are urging those eligible to book a covid booster vaccine ahead of winter.

In Harrogate, vaccinations are available at the Great Yorkshire Showground site.

Great Yorkshire Showground covid vaccine site

This week, walk-in appointments are available every day until Thursday from 8.15am until 5.30pm.

The site will be carrying out vaccinations until November 23 when it closes.

People aged 50 and over, pregnant women, carers, frontline health and care workers, care home residents and people of all ages who are vulnerable are eligible for a covid booster jab now.

Those who are able to book their vaccinations can do so via the NHS website.

The Harrogate district covid infection rate is currently 61 cases per 10,000 people.

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Greatest achievement

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2,500 cancer nurses needed

‘Robust winter plan’

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