Fall in number of Harrogate hospital covid patients

The Harrogate district has reported another 73 covid cases today, but the number of patients in hospital has fallen.

The district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 361 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire average is 308 and the England rate is 287.

No further covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to latest NHS England figures.

It was revealed today that the number of covid patients at Harrogate hospital has fallen slightly.

As of yesterday, there were eight patients at the hospital – down from 11 at the same time last week. The fall has been mirrored across North Yorkshire where patient numbers have fallen by 10 to 122.

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The number of patients in intensive care, however, has gone up by six to 26.

The latest figures were provided by Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, who in an update to a meeting of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today also said covid and flu vaccines would be key to minimising pressure on the NHS this winter.

She said: 

“Winter is always the NHS’s busiest time of year and we expect that to be the same this year.

“In addition, there are still covid patients in our hospitals, we are working together to address the waiting lists which have arisen due to the pandemic and we also still have full covid measures in place.

“The flu vaccination programme is one of the ways we can help protect hospital capacity this winter by helping people stay healthy and well and out of hospital.

“We would like to see as many people as possible get the flu vaccination this winter and will share information through the months ahead to support people with this.”

350 Harrogate hospital staff not fully vaccinated against covid

About 350 frontline staff at Harrogate hospital have not been fully vaccinated against covid, it has been revealed, as a consultation on whether to make the jabs mandatory gets underway.

That figure represents just under 10% of the 3,598 frontline staff at the hospital and was revealed by Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

She said the trust was urging all remaining staff to get doubled jabbed and that managers were speaking with those workers about their concerns.

Dr Andrews said: 

“It is vitally important that we all continue to do everything we can to minimise the risk of covid-19 transmission in hospital and in the community.

“We have encouraged and supported all our staff to be fully vaccinated against covid to keep themselves, their families, fellow colleagues and patients safe and improve our organisational resilience over what is likely to be a challenging winter.”

Government plans are already in place to make it a legal requirement for all care home workers to be fully vaccinated, while implementing the same rules for frontline NHS staff is currently being considered in a consultation.

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Across North Yorkshire, around 430 care home workers are not fully vaccinated and health officials have insisted they are making progress on reducing this number.

The date from which it will become a legal requirement for all care home staff in England to be double jabbed, unless medically exempt, is November 11.

Concern over mandatory vaccines

The move has sparked concerns that making the jabs mandatory could lead to thousands of job losses, which would only worsen the current staffing shortages in both sectors.

And there are now new warnings that employers could face legal action if they sack staff because they have not been fully vaccinated.

Ben Kirkham, regional organiser for the GMB union, said mandatory vaccines could open the door to claims of unfair dismissal if employers sacked staff without offering them redeployment into roles where vaccines were not required.

He said: 

“GMB is opposed to a mandatory requirement for NHS staff – or any other employees – to be vaccinated.

“If the government takes this course and an employer thinks that this gives them the green light to dismiss our members then they need to think again.

“Dismissing any employee because they have not been vaccinated still gives rise to the potential for a claim for unfair dismissal. That employer would still be obliged to look for alternative work for the employee to undertake.

“At one stage we were clapping on a Thursday to show our thanks for the work the NHS and social care staff did during the pandemic, now the government hopes we will get behind insisting they be vaccinated so they can continue to be employed – that simply cannot be right.”

‘We must protect patients’

The consultation on mandatory vaccines for NHS staff is seeking views on the proposals and any impact on staffing and safety such as reducing staff sickness absence.

Staff, healthcare providers, patients and their families are all being urged to have their say, with a final decision expected this winter.

Launching the consultation last week, health secretary Sajid Javid said: 

“Many patients being treated in hospitals and other clinical settings are most at risk of suffering serious consequences of covid-19, and we must do what we can to protect them.

“We will consider the responses to the consultation carefully but, whatever happens, I urge the small minority of NHS staff who have not yet been jabbed to consider getting vaccinated – for their own health as well as those around them.”

Harrogate hospital reports another covid death

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another covid death, according to NHS England figures.

The death was reported on Friday and takes the amount of people to have lost their lives to a covid-related illness at the hospital since March last year to 186 .

Seven have died in the last three weeks.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate district has reported 72 covid infections according to today’s Pubic Health England figures.

The district’s weekly infection rate now stands at 403 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire rate is 334 and the England average stands at 300.

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The hospital is currently treating 11 patients for covid according to the latest government figures,

Elsewhere, 127,393 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 118,654 have had a second dose.

Harrogate hospital reports sixth covid death in three weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded another covid death, according to latest NHS England figures.

The death was reported yesterday and is the sixth at the hospital in three weeks.

It takes the death toll at the hospital since March last year to 185.

Meanwhile, another 126 covid infections have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to today’s Public Health England figures.

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The district’s weekly infection rate has now risen to 433 per 100,000 people, while the North Yorkshire rate is 378 and the England average stands at 351.

According to latest weekly figures, Harrogate hospital is treating 11 patients for covid — the same number as a week ago.

Elsewhere, 127,221 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 117,318 have had a second dose.

Harrogate hospital bosses warn winter will be ‘more challenging than ever before’

Harrogate hospital bosses have warned this winter will be “more challenging than ever before” as staff continue to battle with covid backlogs and brace themselves for peak pressures.

Although covid patient numbers and deaths are much lower than this time last year, the hospital is now battling to clear a backlog of routine screenings, operations and other appointments delayed by the pandemic.

It is also preparing for a surge of seasonal illnesses.

Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said: 

“Winter is always a challenging time and this year it will be more challenging than ever before as we continue to be affected by the pandemic.

“Whilst there are concerns about other respiratory virus infections occurring in high numbers, campaigns like the one for flu vaccinations are designed to protect the most vulnerable.

“The pandemic has also effected waiting lists, and waiting times have grown as it was not possible to sustain planned admissions for operations, outpatients and tests.

“It is now a major priority to return these services to pre-pandemic levels.”

Winter flu resurgence

Last year saw hardly any winter flu, while other respiratory viruses were only circulating at very low levels.

This was put down to lockdowns and social distancing, meaning the normal winter viruses did not get the chance to spread.

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But Public Health England has now warned that immunity to these viruses will have diminished, and very young children will not have been able to develop any at all.

This expected resurgence of winter flu, combined with the risk of increased covid hospitalisations in the colder months, means hospitals locally and nationally are now making preparations for peak pressures from October when seasonal illnesses usually escalate.

At Harrogate hospital, covid patient numbers have remained steady over recent weeks but have climbed into double figures with 11 people needing treatment as of yesterday.

Five recent covid deaths

The hospital has also reported five covid deaths in the last three weeks after going more than four months without any fatalities.

Dr Shepherd said this has shown the risks of covid remain “very real” – even with the success of the vaccination programme.

He also said the virus was still having a knock-on effect on routine health services and causing delays for patients.

He said: 

“Whilst the latest covid admissions are significantly lower than the waves we experienced in the past, this virus has not gone away, it is still affecting how we operate, and we must be prepared if there is an increase in infections.

“We have been able to manage patients with covid by looking after them in dedicated areas, which prevents further transmission of the virus and keeps other patients and our colleagues safe.

“Whilst we do our utmost to see patients as soon as possible, these measures have on occasion led to longer waiting times in the emergency department than we would have seen before the pandemic.

“We know this is not ideal and we are grateful to our visitors for their patience and understanding.”

Three covid deaths recorded at Harrogate hospital

Three covid deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital.

According to latest NHS England figures, two deaths were reported on September 1 and another on September 2.

It takes the death toll since March 2020 from patients who tested positive for coronavirus to 184.

Meanwhile, the Harrogate district has reported 100 covid infections, according to today’s Pubic Health England figures.

It’s the highest daily figure recorded in the district since July 19.

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The district’s weekly infection rate now stands at 341 per 100,000 people, which is above the North Yorkshire rate of 308 and the England average of 301.

According to the latest figures, Harrogate District Hospital is treating 11 patients for covid.

Elsewhere, 126,939 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 115,524 have had a second dose.

Another 88 covid cases in Harrogate district as hospitalisations rise

A further 88 covid cases have been confirmed in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures – and the number of hospital patients has increased.

The district’s seven-day covid rate now stands at 322 cases per 100,000 people, slightly above the North Yorkshire average of 308 and the England rate of 301.

It also emerged today that the number of covid patients at Harrogate District Hospital has risen despite the overall number of people needing treatment across the county falling.

As of yesterday, there were 126 covid-positive patients in North Yorkshire’s hospitals, which is down five on this time last week.

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There are 20 patients in intensive care, an increase of one in the last seven days.

In an update to North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum today, Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said that the number of patients at Harrogate District Hospital was up one to 11.

She said: 

“While there has been an overall reduction across our hospitals there has been a slight increase of covid-positive patients in Harrogate and a larger increase in Scarborough.

“This is an important reminder that some people are still becoming unwell and needing hospital treatment. Due to infection control requirements when treating covid patients it does mean that hospitals are able to do less other activity while the numbers remain significant.

“As schools and colleges go back in September this may also have an impact on infection rates so it is important that we all continue to take sensible precautions to protect ourselves and those around us.”

Elsewhere, 124,187 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 114,258 have had a second dose.

First covid death in four months at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has recorded its first death from a patient who tested positive for covid in four months.

According to NHS England figures, the death was reported on August 16.

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

It comes as health managers reported a “sharp increase” in covid patients in North Yorkshire hospitals, with Harrogate treating nine – an increase from seven last week.

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The death toll at Harrogate hospital since March 2020 now stands at 180.

Meanwhile, 77 covid infections have been reported in the Harrogate district, according to latest Public Health England figures.

The district’s weekly rate has increased slightly to 299 per 100,000 people.

The North Yorkshire rate stands at 274 and the England average is 310.

Elsewhere, 123,688 people have received a first covid vaccine in the Harrogate district and 109,423 have had a second dose.

‘Sharp rise’ in covid patients in North Yorkshire hospitals

There has been a “sharp rise” in the number of covid patients in hospitals across North Yorkshire.

The number of people admitted to the county’s hospitals in the last seven days has jumped to 121, up from 109 this time last week.

The latest figure includes nine patients in Harrogate District Hospital – an increase from seven last week.

Meanwhile, eight patients are in Scarborough, 27 in York and 77 in South Tees.

Twenty-three of the patients are being treated in Intensive Care Units.

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Hospitalisations had been falling after the number reached 131 two weeks ago.

Amanda Bloor, the accountable officer for the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group told a press briefing of the North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum that there had been a number of people admitted over the weekend.

She said: 

“Over the course of last week we did see quite a sharp decrease in the number of patients with covid in hospital, but over the weekend we had quite a sharp rise and that does seem to stabilise but it is in line with what we are seeing more broadly across the country.

“So we are still seeing quite significant numbers of patients requiring hospital treatment when they become poorly with covid.”

Mrs Bloor also urged younger people who had not taken up the offer of a vaccine to come forward to get one.

She added: 

“We are seeing younger people getting covid who do need to be admitted to hospital for treatment and they are sometimes becoming quite poorly.

“So please do not delay getting the vaccine. It is the single most important thing that you can do to protect yourself.”

Covid rate ‘plateauing’ in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district’s coronavirus infection rate is still “plateauing” after falling sharply last month, latest figures show.

The district’s weekly rate now stands at 266 cases per 100,000 people – a level it has remained stable at over the past two weeks.

It marks a significant decrease from when the rate peaked at 533 in mid July but officials have warned the latest figure is still too high and that the wider health and social care sector is facing “exceptional” levels of demand.

Richard Flinton, chief executive of North Yorkshire County Council, said in a message to residents:

“The covid infection rate across the county seems to have plateaued. The rate is 269 per 100,000 people, against an England average of 299.

“This is still high and pressures continue on health and social care services, so our message remains ‘respect and protect’.

“We currently have 48 care homes with cases of covid, and these remain extremely challenging times for health and social care. The level of demand for hospitals, primary care, community health services and social care is exceptional.”

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Meanwhile, the number of covid patients at Harrogate hospital remains stable – with seven patients in beds as of last Wednesday.

The hospital also last week passed four months without reporting a coronavirus-related death.

The latest figures for vaccinations show a total of 123,660 people in the Harrogate district have now received their first vaccine dose and 109,028 people their second.