No covid deaths at Harrogate hospital for two months

No deaths of patients who tested positive for covid have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital for two months.

According to latest NHS England figures, the last covid-related death was reported on April 11.

It means the death toll from coronavirus at Harrogate hospital since the start of the pandemic remains at 179.

A further nine covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to Public Health England figures.

Read more:

It takes the total number of infections since March 2020 to 7,881.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 42 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 35 and the rate for England is 60.

No covid deaths at Harrogate hospital for six weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has gone six weeks without reporting a covid death.

According to NHS England figures, the last death from a patient who tested positive for covid was recorded on April 11.

It means the death toll at the hospital since last March remains at 179.

Meanwhile, a further three cases of covid have been reported in the Harrogate district.

Read more:

Latest Public Health England data shows that 7,740 cases have been recorded since the start of the pandemic.

The daily number of cases reported is based on PCR and lateral flow tests returning positive results. However, if someone with a positive lateral flow test later has a negative result with a PCR test, the earlier result will be removed.

Elsewhere, the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 11 per 100,000 people.

In North Yorkshire, the average is 13 and the England rate is 22.

Harrogate hospital will not reopen walk-in service for hearing aid clinic

Harrogate District Hospital will not reopen its hearing aid repair clinic as a walk-in service despite the easing of coronavirus restrictions.

The clinic closed its doors to become a postal-only service early on in the pandemic, a move which has now become permanent.

Hospital bosses said the change had been well received by patients.

If the audiology team is unable to resolve a problem remotely then they will offer a short repair appointment. The team will not be able to help anyone without an appointment.

Anyone who needs a repair or new equipment should call 01423 553320 or send the team an email.

Read more:

This postal-only service has been in place for many years in Ripon, York and Scarborough. It brings Harrogate into line with the wider service.

Christine Brindle, the lead audiologist at the hospital, said:

“We’ve chosen to move in line with our wider service across the county and switch to a postal service first and foremost.

“This helps reduce the number of people coming into the hospital who don’t have to. It also means patients don’t have to make the journey to come in.

“Before the pandemic we’d often see queues of 30 to 40 people, which isn’t now appropriate. This change has actually been well-received by the majority of patients.”

Harrogate hospital: ‘Worrying’ drop in early cancer diagnoses

A fall in the number of people being diagnosed with early cancer at Harrogate District Hospital during the pandemic has sparked fears many may get treatment too late.

Official figures seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service show a 13.7% reduction in cancer cases detected at stage one – when the chances of survival are highest – during the first 12 months of the covid outbreak compared with the same period a year before.

Cancer charities fear this means many people may unknowingly have the disease and are missing out on potentially life-saving treatment – and they have urged anyone with possible symptoms to get checked as a matter of urgency.

Lisa Spivey, Macmillan Cancer Support partnership manager for West Yorkshire and Harrogate, said the “worrying” drop in diagnoses was down to patients being too scared to visit GPs in case they became infected with covid.

She said:

“Covid has been at the forefront of everyone’s minds while cancer and other long term conditions have been forgotten.

“The last 12 months have had a massive impact on the number of people coming forward with any sign or symptoms. During the first wave especially, there were huge fears about covid and GPs being busy.

“It’s vital that we do catch cancer at the early stages because it gives us the best chance of treatment and recovery.

“It’s a massive worry that more people may have been missed this year so we need anyone who has any symptoms – or anyone who just needs advice – to please come forward.”

Read more:

Dr Kathryn Scott, chief executive of Harrogate-based charity Yorkshire Cancer Research, added:

“We’ve estimated that there could be more than 3,500 missing cancers in Yorkshire. These cancers are less likely to be found at an early stage, when there are more treatment options and the likelihood of survival is higher.

“The good news is that we have seen a surge in referrals recently, and we strongly urge people experiencing possible symptoms of cancer, or any unusual changes to their body, to contact their GP as soon as possible.”

The NHS has worked hard to maintain cancer care during the pandemic, with services at Harrogate hospital remaining open throughout.

While 509 patients at the hospital were diagnosed with stage one cancer between March 2019 and February 2020, this dropped by 13.7% to 439 in the same following period – a fall of around five people a month.

The number of people being diagnosed during the later stages – where the cancer spreads and becomes progressively harder to treat – has also fallen in all categories.

Emma Radcliffe, lead cancer manager at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said while the hospital is not facing the challenge of backlogs because services have continued, there are uncertainties ahead around how many patients could come forward with late stage cancer.

She said:

“The team has worked incredibly hard throughout the pandemic to continue providing vital cancer care – that hasn’t stopped. We’ve introduced new measures to keep our most vulnerable patients out of the hospital environment.

“In terms of the impact the pandemic will have had on cancer services going forward, because we have kept services going we don’t have a backlog so will continue to care for patients in a timely manner.

“However, there is a potential challenge because we don’t know about those patients who’ve not come forward to us, and the impact for them and us. It may be that their cancer is more challenging to treat – that’s why it’s so important that if someone is concerned, they see their GP as soon as possible.”

She added:

“Our really important message to people is that if you’ve had unexplained blood that doesn’t come from an obvious injury (such as blood in your poo or pee), an unexplained lump, weight loss which feels significant to you or an unexplained pain that lasts three weeks or more, it could be a sign of cancer.

“It’s probably nothing serious, but finding cancer early makes it more treatable, so just speak to your GP. We can’t stress that enough.”

People urged to ‘think carefully’ before attending Harrogate hospital emergency department

People have been urged to think carefully before going to the emergency department at Harrogate District Hospital.

The hospital issued a statement yesterday saying the department had seen a significant increase in patient numbers over the past couple of months.

About 130 patients a day attended the department in March, compared with 160 a day in May.

This meant patients with less urgent issues were waiting longer to be seen.

Read more:

Dr Matt Shepherd, consultant emergency medicine and clinical director long term and unscheduled care at the hospital, urged people to call NHS 111 first unless it was a life-threatening illness or injury.

He said:

“We are now seeing approximately eight per cent more patients attending our emergency department than were doing so before covid began, which makes it very difficult to ensure we can safely keep social distancing measures in place.

“Colleagues in the department – and the wider hospital – are working incredibly hard to provide care but we do ask that people think about other healthcare options available to them.

“The most urgent and life-threatening cases take priority, which means that unfortunately people coming in with less urgent issues are experiencing longer waiting times. Our emergency department is for emergencies only, such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, significant head injuries and broken bones.”

He added that alternatives, such as calling NHS 111, consulting a GP or visiting a pharmacist, could mean waiting less time to receive care. He added:

“You can also check any symptoms and find out what to do and when to get help using the NHS website – nhs.uk. It can find services near you, such as local pharmacies, who can offer advice for common health problems such as sore throats and headaches, aches and pains, bumps and bruises or sickness and diarrhoea.”

No covid deaths at Harrogate hospital for a month

No covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital for a month.

According to NHS England figures, the last death from a patient who tested positive for covid was reported at the hospital on April 11.

It means the covid death toll at the hospital since last March remains at 179.

Meanwhile, three more cases of covid have been recorded in the Harrogate district according to today’s Public Health England statistics.

Read more:

It takes the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic to 7,712.

The district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 12 per 100,000 people.

In North Yorkshire, the average is 20 and the national rate stands at 22.

Woman died at Harrogate hospital after receiving Oxford-AstraZeneca jab

It has emerged that a woman died at Harrogate District Hospital after receiving the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid vaccine.

Deaths from the vaccine are exceptionally rare but the Financial Times revealed a 59-year-old woman called Julia began having headaches in mid-March, nine days after receiving her first jab.

She initially thought she was suffering migraines but on March 29 her husband, a retired doctor called Peter, came home to find her in a coma.

According to the FT, doctors at the Harrogate hospital said she had a “catastrophic brain injury” resulting from cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and a very low platelet count — the rare blood condition linked to the AstraZeneca jab. Two days later she died.

According to the government, just over 10 people develop adverse drug reactions for every million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine given.

Read more:

A UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency spokesperson said:

“We are saddened to hear about this death and our thoughts are with the family.

“As with any serious suspected adverse drug reaction, reports with a fatal outcome are fully evaluated by the MHRA, including an assessment of post-mortem details if available.

“Vaccines are the best way to protect people from covid and have already saved thousands of lives. Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise.

“Our detailed and rigorous review into reports of blood clots occurring together with thrombocytopenia is ongoing.”

A Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesman declined to comment.

Three covid vaccines have been authorised for supply in the UK by the MHRA.

Besides Oxford-AstraZeneca, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been approved for use following reviews of safety, quality and efficacy information from clinical trials.

Further information on vaccines is available here.

Just three covid cases recorded in Harrogate district

Just three covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

It takes the total number of infections since last March to 7,688.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been recorded at Harrogate District Hospital.

Read more:

According to NHS England data, the hospital has now gone more than three weeks without a death.

The last reported at the hospital was on April 11. It means the death toll remains at 179.

Meanwhile, the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 19 infections per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 26 and the England rate is 22.

Harrogate Hospital Radio takes to the air for 24-hour fundraising marathon

From noon today, Harrogate Hospital Radio’s team of presenters will broadcast non-stop for 24 hours to kickstart its fundraising activities.

Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the station’s finances and it is hoped this broadcast can start to raise some much-needed funds.

Normally, the station would be broadcasting live from major events across the district such as the Great Knaresborough Bed Race and the Great Yorkshire Show.

The annual running costs for Harrogate Hospital Radio, including insurance, public performance licence fees and broadband charges, are in the region of £5,000. On top of that, new music needs to be purchased and equipment updated or replaced.

Harrogate Hospital Radio chairman Mark Oldfield said:

“Covid has had a major impact on our finances, and the sponsored broadcast marks the start of a post-pandemic fundraising campaign.

“Now, with lockdown easing and the vaccine being rolled out, we are in a position to relaunch our fundraising, starting with our presenting team participating in this 24-hour broadcast.

“We have also launched a JustGiving page, making it easier for supporters to make a donation.”

The station is offering potential sponsors the chance to add their name to a show, for 12 months, for a reduced fee of £150.

It is all in aid of raising as much money as possible. You can donate here.

Mr Oldfield added:

“I’m incredibly grateful to our fantastic team of volunteers. Without them, there would be no Harrogate Hospital Radio.

“I’d also like to thank Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust for their continued support of us, and our sponsors.”

Read more:

This is the running order for the marathon taking place from noon until 12pm tomorrow, bank holiday Monday.

1200-1300:    Launch & Welcome

1300-1400:    Live Lounge with local artist Stan Smith

1400-l5OO:   Dolly Mixtures and All Sorts

1500-1600:    Harrogate Hospital Radio’s Presenter Challenge

1600-1700:    The 60s Show

1700-1800:    G&T Name that Tune – Adele Vs George

1800-1900:    Head 2 Head – Wilson Vs Wright

1900-2000:    The School Disco Hour

2000-2100:    Club Classics

2100-2300:    HHR’s Pride Festival – Celebrating LGBTQ

2300-0000:    Kylie in Concert

Midnight:       Midnight Rock

0100-0200:    Soul Show

0200-0500:    HDFT Top 40 Feel Good Chart Show

0500-0600:    Night Shift Request Show

0600-0700:    The Early, Early Breakfast Show

0700-0900:    HHR Big Breakfast Show

0900-1000:    Woodlands Ward Hour

1000-1100:    Chart Show Rewind – 1977

1100-1200:    The 24th Hour

Just two covid patients at Harrogate hospital

The number of covid patients being treated at Harrogate District Hospital has fallen to two — the lowest since the second wave started last year.

The number is way down on the 68 at the peak of the second wave in mid February. Last week it was four.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed the figure at a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing today.

Read more:

No further covid deaths have been reported at the hospital, according to NHS England figures.

It means the death toll remains at 179 since the start of the pandemic.

The last covid death reported at the hospital was on April 11.

Meanwhile, a further five covid cases have been reported in the Harrogate district according to today’s Public Health England statistics.

It takes the total number of cases since March to 7,655.

The district’s seven-day covid rate has fallen to 12 infections per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire average is 32 and the England rate currently stands at 24.

North Yorkshire Police said today it had issued four fines for covid breaches in the Harrogate district in the last week.

Officers handed out 34 fixed penalty notices across the county – the majority of which were for indoor gatherings.