Family members of people treated in Harrogate’s Briary Unit say they are deeply concerned about the impact of closing the town’s only mental health inpatient facilities.
With inpatients now set to be sent to York, and other support moved into the community, people who have seen their closest relatives go through very distressing episodes of mental illness want to help others understand why having the hospital nearby can ease the pressure on them.
Rachael, who asked us not to use her full name, said she worried about the additional stress placed on families by the closure of the mental health treatment centre after her daughter was treated in Middlesbrough over Christmas.
Her daughter, who turns 25 in May, has been sectioned under the Mental Health Act four times in the last six years. Now diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she was last admitted to the Briary Wing in December.
“I had gone to see her at home,” said Rachael.
“She was behaving very worryingly – I was so horrified. She had been so stridently adamant that she didn’t want to go to hospital again. I felt completely paralysed.”
It was a Saturday night, making it harder for Rachael to access the usual support services. Fortunately, her daughter eventually called the police.
Rachael said the two officers who arrived had never seen anyone going through a psychotic episode before and were shocked by the reality of it, but stayed with them until an ambulance arrived. Her daughter was admitted to the Briary Unit, but transferred to Middlesbrough where she was treated for the next three weeks.
“Partly they said it was to put her in more intensive care where they have got a higher staff ratio, but really I think there were no beds in the Briary,” said Rachael. “I never saw a consultant in all the visits I made. They said she might get transferred back but it never happened.”
‘Triple unfamiliarity’
Now the Briary Wing has been closed, patients from the Harrogate district requiring inpatient treatment will go to the new Foss Park Hospital in York. Tees, Esk and Wear Valley (TEWV) NHS Trust, which provides mental health services in the Harrogate district, says it will also step up community-based care to prevent people needing to stay in hospital and to cut down the length of time they are there.
The new Foss Park Hospital in York
Rachael believes the extra travel to York – or further afield if beds are in high demand – will add unnecessary stress to very difficult situations for patients and families.
“I was very lucky that it so happened the weather was amazingly calm. Doing that in the middle of the winter when you are stressed out and want to find your way around, it’s not great – being plunged into triple unfamiliarity.”
For Jane, a combination of difficulties with travel and the current coronavirus limitations mean that she is unable to see her husband, who is currently being treated at Foss Park Hospital. Although it is a new hospital with modern facilities, Jane said the whole situation would be made much easier if he were still in Harrogate:
“I don’t drive, so even if I was allowed to visit him, I couldn’t get there. We’ve been together for 10 years and we haven’t left each other’s side. Not being able to visit is making him worse.”
Structure and routine
Jane’s husband was sectioned for the first time last week, after six months of struggling with his mental health following difficulties with bullying at work. The coronavirus lockdown caused further strain, leaving him without the structure and routine that helps him to manage.
After several days of treatment, he is now preparing to come back home and Jane is keen that he has enough support in place to stop him deteriorating again. He had been receiving outpatient treatment at the Briary Unit over the last six months, but it was when that support was removed that he became severely unwell. Jane added:
“We really do need the Briary Unit. It’s so badly needed in Harrogate. Mental health is becoming more of a problem here.”
For Rachael, the reducing level of care available is a constant worry too. Her daughter is inconsistent with taking medication and attending psychiatry appointments, so Rachael feels another episode of psychosis is inevitable – especially as she does not believe her daughter has yet accepted her diagnosis.
Now, Rachael can only wait and see whether – or when – her daughter begins to show the warning signs again:
Harrogate District Hospital reports another coronavirus death“There’s nothing done. When you are afraid someone’s working themselves up into mania, there’s nothing to be done. You are sitting on the sidelines almost going mad yourself, waiting for it to become a crisis.
“It’s incredibly distressing. Somebody who’s so talented and you try your best and it’s not enough. I can’t live her life for her.”
Harrogate District Hospital has reported another coronavirus-related death, bringing the hospital’s total up to 17.
It is one of 92 deaths in the North East and Yorkshire region of 765 across England reported today. The total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England is now at 7,248.
The patient deaths reported today were aged between 24 and 103 years old. 43 of the 765 patients, aged between 33 and 99 years old, had no known underlying health conditions.
North Yorkshire currently has 328 confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Figures for the number of patients who have been treated in hospital and discharged are not currently available.
Meanwhile, the Nightingale hospital being created at Harrogate Convention Centre is expected to be complete by this weekend.
Harrogate hospital has £4.8 million debt written offHarrogate District Hospital bosses have welcomed the government’s decision to write off its £4.8 million debt.
The hospital took out the multi-million-pound loan to pay back its suppliers more quickly but said the “reset of finances” was helpful going forward.
107 hospital trusts have an average of £100 million in revenue debt, with the two trusts with the highest debts reaching a combined total of over £1 billion.
In total, the government will write off £13.4 billion of NHS debt to ensure hospitals have the “necessary funding and support to respond to coronavirus.”
Under new rules, hospitals in need of extra cash will be given it with equity, rather than needing to borrow from the government and repay a loan.
Jonathan Coulter, finance director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“The loan we took out was to enable us to be able to pay our suppliers more quickly. In line with the rest of the NHS, we think this ‘reset’ of finances is helpful for trusts both at this point in time and going forward over the coming years.”
The government has said that while many NHS trusts manage strong finances, some took out loans to plug financial gaps in their day-to-day revenue or capital infrastructure budgets.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
Midwives reassure expectant mums in the Harrogate district“As we tackle this crisis, nobody in our health service should be distracted by their hospital’s past finances. Today’s £13.4 billion debt write off will wipe the slate clean and allow NHS hospitals to plan for the future and invest in vital services.”
The coronavirus crisis has thrown many pregnant women’s birth plans up in the air, causing anxiety and uncertainty in the weeks leading up to their birth. Local registered midwives have offered some calming words of advice.
Leannah Gregory-James experienced the strange circumstances first hand when she gave birth to her first son Alfie at Harrogate Hospital on Sunday. She told The Stray Ferret she was ‘heartbroken’ when her partner wasn’t allowed to stay with her during labour and that she found the experience ‘very difficult’ despite the midwives doing their ‘absolute best’. Leannah explained her story in an emotional video which she sent to The Stray Ferret and was widely shared on social media.
Leannah Gregory-James gave birth to her first baby, Alfie Gregory-James, in Harrogate Hospital on Sunday
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has been reviewing It’s policies on visitors and birthing partners in light of the spread of Covid 19 and confirmed how the rules currently stand:
- Partners are not allowed to come onto Pannal ward during the induction process – this can take 24+ hours in some cases
- Partners are allowed to be in the delivery room whilst the woman is in labour
- Partners can stay in the delivery room until mum and baby are transferred to Pannal ward – this can be a couple of hours
- The hospital is no longer able to allow any visiting on the postnatal ward following the birth (including partners/birth partners)
The hospital said the Pannal ward or delivery suite was not understaffed at the time Leannah gave birth. Alison Pedlingham, Head of Midwifery at Harrogate Hospital made a personal statement to inform parents of the situation:
As you can appreciate, we are all living in challenging times and I wanted to reassure you of the following that is specific to maternity services at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust:
- That we remain committed to providing the highest standard of maternity care to you and your family despite the challenges presented by the current situation. This means that we are having to make some changes to the way we are working, but this is with your safety at our heart and also the safety our all our staff
- That we do have a plan to manage COVID-19 and we are receiving regular information and recommendations from the professional bodies; Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives as well as other national groups
- That midwives in the department are only working in maternity services and not being asked to support other wards or departments in the organisation. This means that we can continue to support you throughout your pregnancy and birth experience.
- That we continue to have senior medical cover/support 24 hours a day.
The decisions we have to make are difficult ones but we are aiming to protect women and their families as well as the staff providing care to them.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Val Readman, pictured, who is a retired midwife turned hypnobirthing teacher. She told The Stray Ferret that women should try to find out what specific arrangements their maternity ward have in place.:
“Remember, if mum is calm and well, baby is calm and well. Carry on with normal routines in the home, eat well, drink plenty of water and have a short rest during the day. Keep In touch with friends and family by phone, facetime etc. If a mum is well and all aspects of her pregnancy have been normal she should stay at home with her birth partner as long as possible when she goes into labour. There is research that suggests that women labour quicker and easier in their own environment.”
Stay connected
Meanwhile, Annie Robinson, a registered midwife who runs Blooming Babies antenatal and postnatal classes in Harrogate, said there are ways to keep the pregnancy and birthing experience as positive as possible. She is continuing to teach mums essential skills and help them to build a network of supportive friends via online classes.
Harrogate Hospital testing all in-patients with coronavirus symptoms“It is hard not to be able to have visitors, but with technology they can easily keep in touch with friends and relatives on a regular basis and maintain a good support network. The first few weeks with a new baby is a very special time and couples should work together to enjoy it, getting as much rest as possible, and mum should sleep during the day when baby is sleeping.”
Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed it is testing every in-patient suspected of having coronavirus.
The confirmation came after the North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said the hospital did not have any tests for Covid-19.
Julia Mulligan questioned official figures for the number of confirmed cases in the county on Twitter today:
They have no tests for CV19 at Harrogate hospital. So how are we supposed to know? https://t.co/TTFnb6ZLMY
— Julia Mulligan (@Julia_Mulligan) March 21, 2020
Harrogate District NHS Foundation Trust said it has enough kits and is testing all in-patients displaying the symptoms of coronavirus.