Record daily number of covid infections in Harrogate district

Ninety-six people in the Harrogate district — the highest daily total since the pandemic began — tested positive for covid, according to the latest daily figures from Public Health England.

Harrogate west and Pannal has recorded the most new infections in the district in the last seven days, with 41.

Pateley Bridge and Nidd Valley has recorded the fewest, with five.

It was also revealed today that Harrogate District Hospital is currently treating 24 coronavirus patients – an increase of eight on last week.

The figure was published today by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

The hospital ended routine patient visits today as the country entered a second lockdown.

The only exceptions are for visits to patients at end of life; instances where difficult conversations need to take place; patients with physical or cognitive impairment; long-stay patients.

It comes as Steve Russell, chief executive of the hospital trust, told the Stray Ferret that the hospital was coping well with the virus.

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The district entered a second national lockdown today, which Prime Minister Boris Johnson said was needed to protect the health service from increased demand.

The weekly case rate in the district is still above the national average, with 252 per 100,000 people.

Harrogate hospital ends routine visits to patients

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed it will no longer allow patient visits, except in a few limited circumstances.

The restriction came into force today as part of lockdown measures.

The only exceptions are for visits to patients at end of life; instances where difficult conversations need to take place; patients with physical or cognitive impairment; long-stay patients.

A hospital statement said ‘all of these exceptions will be at the discretion of the shift lead’.

Visitors must wear masks and visors, which the ward will provide.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, told the Stray Ferret it had been a difficult decision that had been debated this week.

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The hospital has also limited the number of visitors to maternity wards to one.

Visiting slots between either 10am-12pm or 2pm-4pm will be allocated in the morning by the midwife in charge. Hospital guidance adds:

“If you are attending for an induction of labour your partner can attend with you.

“This is a decision we’ve taken reluctantly because we know how important visitors are and we know how much it means for partners to be present at key stages of pregnancy and birth.

“However, we have to play our part in reducing contacts and minimising potential spread of covid. We hope you understand why we’re doing this.”

Harrogate hospital coping well with covid, says chief executive

Preventing the NHS from being overwhelmed is one of the main reasons for today’s lockdown.

There have been some worrying stories about hospitals running out of beds in the coming weeks but Harrogate District Hospital is in a better position than most, according to the man in charge.

Steve Russell, chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, told the Stray Ferret there was less pressure on critical care at the hospital than in the first wave and so far it was “managing reasonably well”.

In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Russell highlighted how relatively few covid patients the hospital has despite the Harrogate district’s soaring infection rate that is now above the England average. He said:

“Our wonderful staff in the hospital and community are doing a brilliant job. Other parts of the county have had more cases of us.

“We have had a lower increase in covid than areas around us and we are still running many routine services.”

Covid wards

Harrogate District Hospital has about 320 beds in total, and about 85 per cent are currently occupied.

There are two red wards — designated wards for confirmed or suspected coronavirus. The wards have about 60 staff. When one ward has more than 15 patients the second one is used. “We chose wards with the highest number of side rooms,” said Mr Russell.

He added that as part of the hospital’s surge plans, it would reduce other activities if the number of covid patients grew significantly and staff had to be redeployed. He said staff with the closest skill set for critical care, such as theatre staff, would be the first to be moved.

Mr Russell said the point at which this happened would be determined by a range of factors, including the overall pressure on critical care rather than a set number of covid patients and so far during the second wave the hospital had not reached it.

It currently has about 15 covid patients compared with 50 to 60 at the peak of the first wave. He said:

“The most important thing is how we are coping overall. And at the moment we are coping well.”

Critical care

The hospital’s base critical care capacity is seven. This can ‘flex’ to 10 and has the capacity for another six to eight patients.

Although there were far more covid patients at the peak of the first wave than there are currently, there were more beds available in spring because the hospital had cancelled most other activities. Mr Russell said:

“We didn’t know as much about the disease during the first wave. We now have new drugs, we manage patients better, we have non-invasive ventilators that allow patients to stay awake as well as mechanical ventilators. We have enough ventilators to cope.”

The hospital hasn’t redeployed any staff to treat covid patients during the second wave. Mr Russell said it ran training sessions to prepare staff for this during the first wave and it planned to run refresher sessions.

‘Right to lockdown’

Mr Russell described the decision as ‘a logical and understandable step’, adding:

“If we look at what’s happening across the NHS more broadly and the growth of pressure other hospitals are experiencing, I think it was a wise decision. The measures that we had in place didn’t seem to be slowing the pressure on hospitals as much as needed.”

Staff under pressure

The trust employs about 4,500 staff, of which about half are based in the hospital. Mr Russell said it had been one hell of a difficult year but he had never been prouder of being part of the NHS. He said:

“There is quite understandably a sense of anxiety. People are tired; they are anxious about what might come because winter is generally a busier time for the NHS. It doesn’t matter how well you prepare you can’t predict the future.”

He said the trust had put in place health and wellbeing support for staff. Currently absenteeism was only about 1.5 percentage points higher than usual, and six staff were off yesterday due to test and trace. Staff are only tested for covid when they display symptoms. Mr Russell said:

“Healthcare professionals are sociable animals. Lunchtime has always been a sociable affair. But staff now have to sit further apart, wearing face masks and goggles. It is’n’t nice. It’s uncomfortable. But they know it’s necessary.”

Visiting restrictions

The hospital is ending routine visits today. The only exceptions will be around vulnerable groups.  Mr Russell said this had been a difficult decision that had been debated this week, and the biggest dilemma was about allowing visits to terminally ill patients. He said:

“People find it distressing not being able to visit people at the end of life and so they will be one of the exceptions.”

Nightingale staff

Mr Russell is also chief executive of the Harrogate Nightingale hospital, which he describes as “an insurance policy we hope we never need”.

But if it is, Harrogate District Hospital may have to redeploy staff. Mr Russell said it had identified 10 or 11 staff of 12 or 13 that could be redeployed. Other hospitals in the region would have to do the same. He said this was part of the hospital’s escalation measures and could result in it having to pause routine work.

‘Difficult to switch off’

Many of us think we have stressful jobs but being in charge of a hospital during a pandemic is something else. “Switching off has been difficult,” Mr Russell admits. He had booked a family holiday to Africa next week. This changed to a trip to the New Forest when overseas travel became difficult. Now, with lockdown, he will be staying at home in Harrogate. He said:

“I get a lot of resilience from friends and family, and I’m lucky to have such a fabulous team around me.”

Harrogate district suffers record daily covid increase

Eighty-three people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for coronavirus in the last 24 hours, according to the latest daily figures by Public Health England.

It is the largest daily increase in the district since the pandemic began, beating the 63 infections recorded on October 20.

Today’s figure brings the total number of infections in the district since the start of the pandemic to 2,106.

Speculation is rising that North Yorkshire will enter tier two this week amid the rising number of cases.

The Harrogate district currently has a seven-day rolling average of 203 positive cases per 100,000 people, which despite rising sharply is nevertheless below the England national average of 220.

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According to government figures, the R rate for the district is 1.3.

Harrogate central, Harrogate west and Pannal, Boroughbridge and Marton-cum-Grafton and Killinghall and Hampsthwaite have experienced the highest number of infections in the district in the last seven days.

Ripon has experienced the lowest number.

Harrogate District Hospital has 12 coronavirus patients – three of whom are in intensive care.

 

 

57 more people test positive for coronavirus

A further 57 people in the Harrogate district have tested positive for covid-19, according to figures released today.

It means the district’s total confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic is now 2,106.

Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 3,565 further cases were confirmed today, bringing the total for the region to 115,145 since the outbreak began.

No further deaths have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in today’s figures from NHS England.

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Yesterday, the hospital reported the death of a patient who had been diagnosed with coronavirus. The death took place on Sunday, October 25.

The total number of deaths in patients with covid-19 at the hospital since the start of the pandemic stands at 85.

Regionally, 44 deaths were confirmed today in Yorkshire and the Humber, out of a total of 207 across England. The patients were aged between 36 and 101, and all except six of them – aged between 60 and 93 – had known underlying health conditions.

First covid death at Harrogate hospital in three weeks

Harrogate District Hospital has today reported its first coronavirus death in over three weeks.

It is the first covid death at the hospital since September 29 and only the second since July.

It takes the total number of coronavirus deaths at the hospital since the start of the pandemic to 84, according to NHS England figures.

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Yesterday Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said the hospital had 10 covid patients, with one in intensive care.

Ms Bloor added there were 116 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the county, which was well below the level in the early days of the pandemic in spring.

She said:

“We are seeing the number of inpatient admissions with covid increasing, but we are not yet at the levels of hospitalisations that we were back at the beginning and in the middle of April.

“We have currently got 116 people in hospital beds; we had in excess of 300 in early April.

“It is a relatively stable position, although we are seeing a slight upward trend in terms of those numbers.”

Harrogate District Hospital set aside 100 beds for covid patients in preparation for the second wave.

Hospital bosses said last month that they were more confident of coping this time.

Harrogate hospital currently treating 10 coronavirus patients

Harrogate District Hospital currently has 10 coronavirus patients with one in intensive care.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer at North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, revealed the figures at a North Yorkshire Resilience Forum press briefing yesterday.

Ms Bloor said there were 116 coronavirus patients in hospitals across the county, which was well below the level in the early days of the pandemic in spring.

She said:

“We are seeing the number of inpatient admissions with covid increasing, but we are not yet at the levels of hospitalisations that we were back at the beginning and in the middle of April.

“We have currently got 116 people in hospital beds; we had in excess of 300 in early April.

“It is a relatively stable position, although we are seeing a slight upward trend in terms of those numbers.”

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She added that accident and emergency and 999 call demand had returned to pre-covid levels.

Harrogate District Hospital set aside 100 beds for covid patients in preparation for the second wave.

Hospital bosses said last month that they were more confident of coping this time.

The number of coronavirus cases in the Harrogate district has increased sharply since the start of September.

However, there has not been a death reported at Harrogate hospital since September 29.

Harrogate hospital to ease restrictions on pregnancy visits

Harrogate District Hospital is set to ease restrictions on pregnancy visits next week.

From Monday October 19, partners will be welcome to attend the consultant antenatal clinic appointments.

The hospital has asked partners to arrive on time and not early so they don’t crowd the waiting area.

Previously, partners have only been allowed to be present at the 20 week scan – and before mid-September were not allowed at any appointments during pregnancy.

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There are still visiting restrictions on midwifery antenatal clinics and drop-in clinics, which the hospital says is out of its control.

A spokesperson for the hospital said:

“We appreciate how difficult it has been for pregnant women attending the consultant clinics in the hospital at Harrogate without their partners. After careful consideration and discussion we have made this plan.”

The home birth service was suspended from August in Harrogate due to increased sickness absence levels in the hospital’s midwifery team.

It will remain suspended until the end of October, for which the hospital has apologised.

Harrogate hospital prepares for winter with 100 coronavirus beds

Harrogate District Hospital has prepared for a second wave of coronavirus this winter by setting aside up to 100 beds for infected patients.

The annual members meeting of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust last night heard the hospital currently has four coronavirus patients.

This is far below the 60 patients at the peak of the pandemic but the trend is heading back in the wrong direction – there were no coronavirus patients at the end of July.

Rising coronavirus cases locally – yesterday’s figure of 19 new infections was the highest daily increase for three weeks – has fuelled fears of a second peak.

But trust bosses are more confident of coping this time.

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Tim Gold, chief operating officer at the trust, said at last night’s meeting:

“We are a long way short of the first peak. We know for winter we will need extra beds. We have a really clear plan to open up wards and create up to 100 coronavirus beds. The most important thing is that we know so much more about managing coronavirus than we did.”

Dr Jackie Andrews, medical director at the trust, added it prepared over summer for the “inevitable” next wave of the pandemic:

“It feels very different this time. That is not to say we are being complacent but with the first wave there will be a lot of confusion and chaos. We needed to learn on the go. But the NHS now has proven treatments which can manage the effect of coronavirus on the body.”

The meeting also revealed the trust is currently spending £1 million a month on staffing, testing and PPE to combat coronavirus.

The government has covered this cost retrospectively and has set aside £24 million for the region from October.

First covid death at Harrogate hospital in two months

The first death from a patient who tested positive for coronavirus has been reported at Harrogate District Hospital in 72 days.

The last time a death was recorded at the hospital was July 19th.

It takes the total number of deaths at Harrogate hospital from coronavirus up to 83, according to NHS England figures.

It comes as the number of positive tests for covid in the district since the start of the pandemic passed 1,000 yesterday.

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