Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital will officially open today with the help of guest of honour Captain Tom Moore.

The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been set up at Harrogate Convention Centre in less than three weeks.

NHS and army staff have been working alongside BAM Construction “around the clock” to get the 500-bed facility up and running. Eight of the convention centre’s halls will be used to accommodate level three critical care beds for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

Tributes have been paid to those behind the project in two videos – one featuring a host of celebrities, the other people with links to the town.

Captain Tom Moore will be guest of honour at the official opening of Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital.

Originally from Keighley, war veteran Captain Tom Moore – who hit headlines after walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday to raise more than £27m for NHS Charities Together – will be part of the ceremony via video link from his home.

The seven Nightingale hospitals around the country offer extra capacity on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals – the equivalent of building 50 district general hospitals – and up to 8,000 beds made available through an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.

In a statement released on the eve of the opening, Harrogate’s Liberal Democrat spokesperson Judith Rogerson said: “I know everyone in Harrogate will be honoured to welcome Captain Tom Moore to town for the opening of our local Nightingale Hospital tomorrow. His outstanding achievement raising so much money for the NHS has been a real morale boost for the whole country at this difficult time.

“However, we can’t ignore the fact that significant fundraising is taking place to meet funding shortfalls in our much loved NHS. I don’t for a second want to detract from Captain Tom’s achievement. But as well as recognising his heroic efforts, politicians everywhere should be considering how we can all work together to secure a better future for health and care services, so that our key workers will always have the resources that they need to look after us.”

Cllr Pat Marsh, leader of the Lib Dems on Harrogate Borough Council, added: “Captain Tom Moore’s heroic, epic fundraising efforts have shown that we all do value the NHS. Just valuing is really not enough, we must take a lead from Captain Moore and raise money for this precious, irreplaceable service.

“These horrific times have shown what an irreplaceable service the NHS is, staffed by people who are fantastic. We do need to ensure that all frontline/key workers can do their job safely with the right tools for the job. Just as Captain Tom would not have been sent to the frontline without at least a helmet and a gun then our frontline staff have to be given the right tools in their fight against coronavirus.”

The Stray Ferret has tried to establish what role locally the district’s two MPs have played in the weeks since lockdown began – with little success.   

The House of Commons has been in recess since March 25th and is due to resume tomorrow, so neither has been required to be in Westminster.

A month ago at the start of lockdown the Harrogate and Knaresborough Conservative MP, Andrew Jones, announced he was launching a scheme to match people who were self-isolating with someone who could help them. He sent out 9,000 emails to constituents asking them if they needed support or if they could provide help – saying his team would help match them.  

Andrew Jones MP

Mr Jones has since kept a low profile about this work– with no detail on how his scheme is progressing or how he is supporting his constituency. Last week the Stray Ferret reported on how care homes are crying out for support from their local MPs to help them source PPE. We asked Mr Jones at the time if he wished to make a comment but he declined.  

In the absence of information, The Stray Ferret today contacted a number of the local volunteer networks and business organisations.  They told us Mr Jones has had no involvement in their work which some said had disappointed them. 

It’s a similar picture in Ripon:

Julian Smith MP

Julian Smith, conservative MP for Ripon and Skipton too has remained silent about his work locally. The Stray Ferret has tried to contact him on the telephone and has sent four emails to his office since March 18th, in which  we have sought his views on issues affecting his largely rural community.  Mr Smith has not responded. We have contacted coronavirus volunteer groups in the area and they said he has not been in touch. 

The Stray Ferret has looked into the work of other conservative MPs in Yorkshire by way of a comparison- a number have communicated more often and appear to be more openly involved in the issues their constituents are facing.

The Stray Ferret asked the district’s MPs these questions again earlier today:  

To Mr Jones:

• How has your volunteer scheme progressed?  How many isolated vulnerable people has your team connected with support?  
• What role have you played or support have you offered in the creation of the Nightingale Hospital at the HCC?

To both MPs:

• What role have you played in helping care homes and other medical facilities source PPE?  
• How many constituents have been in touch with you concerned about how they are going to financially survive the crisis and what have you been able to do for them?  
• How can you support local businesses as an economic recession looms?

Neither MP has responded to our questions.

When the Nightingale Hospital opens tomorrow at the HCC, it’s likely Mr Jones will be present to thank those involved. What’s less clear is what work our elected MPs have done to support their constituents in the past month.  

Harrogate District Hospital has not reported any new coronavirus-related deaths and the nationwide figure is the lowest it has been for a fortnight.

The hospital has so far reported 32 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Whereas, there have been 1,870 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the North East and Yorkshire region.

It comes as Harrogate hospital announced that its first patient had been discharged after treatment for coronavirus on a ventilator.

Patient Karl then shared a video from home and used the opportunity to thank the staff at the hospital. He said that they saved his life and urged them to stay safe.

https://www.facebook.com/HarrogateDistrictNHS/videos/231823624719693/?__xts__[0]=68.ARBZG6TV3jYQ5jXumIB3zG14zYuzuSYVrnQ3XdK15Ci_YuUmTs3Sovi7BD5GDwROZLY1q176-GBESyWGJT_gh7gfBfZ4X2avSulD7xQKBn9dLLjU3NHzSCMJDCc-b-fFPShQ9Shl4d1-6G5bcavKeCMtT-aXK3T0as26I-ZQCUPGNRkmlNvgrgF69Z_B6fulLPo7L00Io9mTUCDIx9ndfOinG28IhnB2FZMRmUmaCfCyrkUemyYFtwjmZnpVx0RB7s9rCb–qKJ67kiDkph58lbANwwONzwDk835yGsgcMjDRc6rSCvExS_EQx50tGKVm1gP-I1mLUnGq1vX6nbMHmzNz8nYkQ5TVhocGTpE&__tn__=-R

Another 450 people have died in hospitals in the UK after contracting coronavirus. English hospitals made up 429 of those deaths but it is the lowest nationwide figure for two weeks.

Scotland reported 12 deaths and Wales reported nine deaths but Northern Ireland has not yet reported its deaths for today.

The UK has reported 16,552 deaths so far. These figures do not account for deaths outside the hospital of people who were not tested but died of suspected coronavirus.

Harrogate Scrubbers gained 200 Facebook followers and raised more than £4,500 in its first 24 hours of existence. The group was formed in response a the nation wide shortage of scrubs and has committed to make 700 scrubs for staff working in the Harrogate area to help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

The project is being organised by Fran Taylor (above) , a teacher at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate, in conjunction with the Foundation Trust that runs Harrogate District Hospital. Fran is coordinating fabric orders, pattern printing and delivery of the finished items from home.

“‘The community response has been genuinely humbling, with offers of help from people stuck at home, community groups, local companies and professional sewing groups. It has created a team atmosphere and real community spirit, actually giving people a purpose and the ability to feel that they are supporting the NHS both through staying at home, but also doing something productive while they are there”

Some of the scrubs sewn by volunteers ready to be delivered to the hospital

Yesterday Harrogate District Hospital made an appeal for community help in sourcing gowns after a national shortage- saying it needed to plan ahead to ensure supply and particularly needed long sleeve, water proof gowns. 

A fundraiser was set up online  with support coming from individuals as well as organisations including guesthouse association Accommodation Harrogate, and estate agents, Verity Frearson.

Earlier this week, Fran found herself borrowing the keys to her church in order to have the floor space to roll out, measure and cut the fabric. Once cut, it was parcelled up with patterns – printed by Enid Taylor on Cold Bath Road – and sent out to the volunteers.

“There’s really fantastic community support,” she said. “Any enthusiastic beginner can come and help us. We’re always looking for people to come and sew and support us with organising and getting supplies to our drop-off point.”

As well as blue scrubs, spare fabric is being used to create laundry bags

Local businesses are involved too in supplying fabric.  Harrogate interior design firm Furnish & Fettle are providing over 800m of fabric and getting the team to join in with sewing and deliveries.

Owner Eleanor Goddard said, ‘We are delighted to be able to do something to support the NHS and utilise the supplies we have in stock. This is a brilliant way for us to give something back and thank all those on the frontline.’

White Rose Sewing in Harrogate are also supporting the scheme and have offered to help with supplying some of the materials as has M&M Fabrics in Leeds’s Kirkgate market.

The volunteers will make scrubs, laundry bags, scrub caps and waterproof gowns.

“There’s lots of people who are at home more than they would like to be and maybe who have got extra time on their hands because of being furloughed and that’s a real worry for them,” Fran said. “Being able to keep busy is good for their mental health and it also helps people to feel connected.”

Can you help?

The good news is you can help even if you can’t sew..Roles and items The Harrogate Scrubbers need:

• People who can sew both scrubs and bags to put them in
• People able to deliver and collect the fabric and scrubs
• Donations of money to help buy the fabric and accessories
• Donations of plain lightweight polycotton fabric or new sheets
• Volunteers to cut the fabric into packs and prepare them
• Printers to print the patterns to go in the packs

To donate, visit: https://tinyurl.com/harrogatescrubbers Join the Facebook group  www.facebook.com/groups/harrogatescrubbers    Alternatively, contact Fran Taylor directly harrogatescrubbers@gmail.com

The war veteran who has raised almost £25m for the NHS is set to be the guest of honour at the official opening of Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital next week.

Originally from Keighley, Captain Tom Moore – who hit headlines after walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday – will be part of the ceremony via video link from his home on Tuesday.

Money continues to pour in to his fundraising page, and Captain Moore – who served in India and the Burma campaign during the Second World War – is still walking after hitting his target of 100 laps earlier this week.

He said: “I am still amazed by the amount of kindness and generosity from the UK public who continue to give despite it being an uncertain time for many.

“I think the amount raised demonstrates just how much we all value the dedication and sacrifices made by our NHS workers. I have fought during a war and they are now fighting in a war too.

“I’m honoured to be opening the NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and Humber and to get to thank many of the NHS workers directly. I know that having extra beds available for the sick, if needed will be reassuring to those workers, as it would have been to me when I was on the frontline.”

NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, Harrogate

The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber has been set up at Harrogate Convention Centre in less than three weeks. Staff from the centre worked alongside the Army, NHS and private businesses to complete the transformation, and tributes have been paid to their work in two videos – one featuring a host of celebrities, the other people with links to the town.

Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, added: “Inviting Captain Moore to be our guest of honour at the opening of NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and Humber is the least we can do to thank him for his inspiring service and example, and no doubt there will be further ways in which we will be able to express our gratitude.

“Just like the amazing campaign Captain Moore has inspired, the Nightingales are a symbol of how people have come together as part of a nationwide effort to prepare – should they be needed now or in the months to come – for the greatest global health emergency in more than a century.”

The seven Nightingale hospitals around the country offer extra capacity on top of the 33,000 additional beds freed up across NHS hospitals – the equivalent of building 50 district general hospitals – and up to 8,000 beds made available through an unprecedented deal with the independent sector.

Sir Simon said he hoped the temporary hospitals could be used as little as possible, but would be standing by if other services reached capacity.

As the UK lockdown is extended for a minimum of three more weeks, the work of volunteers continue to provide a vital service for those who are self-isolating.

From mobile post offices to weekly care packages, volunteers from across the borough are going the extra mile to help those who need it.

86 year old Irene Hibberd has been a resident of Berwick Grange since December last year.

MHA,  the methodist charity which runs Berwick Grange, said the home has had   “a number of suspected coronavirus deaths” but would not give an exact number as residents had not been tested before they died.  The home is a specialist dementia unit.

Irene’s daughter, Hazel Ludwighodges, who is herself a carer and had previously worked at Berwick Grange,  said she became aware of the situation at the home a couple of weeks ago but was not officially told by the charity

” When I tried to get information I was told it wasn’t available to me and that if my mother was involved I would be told. I am not very happy about that to be honest, I know that the situation is very difficult at the moment but it would have been nice to have been told that there were suspected cases. Not to have been told distressed me a little.”

She was told that she would receive emails from MHA but hasn’t yet been sent any.

In a statement on the 10th April MHA said:

A small number of our homes have already been badly affected, although the extent to which these losses can be attributed to Covid-19 is debatable as our residents are not being tested. Without that testing, we may never know the true extent of outbreaks in our homes.

Our residents are a second family and this will take its toll on our teams as they sadly lose people they have cared for, in some cases for a number of years. We will make sure we care for our colleagues as well as our residents throughout all of this and would urge you to support us and our colleagues at this difficult time

Mrs Ludwighodges says she feels the level of care in Berwick Grange is good and does not blame the government for the lack of testing:

“I think the government is doing everything it can, it is doing a good job. I worry about my mother but you could say we should do some more but there’s only so much we can do.  These things happen. Carers have always been undervalued. Out of this crisis – it would be nice if carers are appreciated more. “

Todays figures show a further 79 people in Yorkshire and the North East, who tested positive to covid-19, have died – the two deaths at Harrogate District Hospital were recorded yesterday.  The figure for the region was lower than that of the Midlands, which saw the highest number of recorded daily deaths at 170, and the North West at 102. London was 158.

The total number of deaths at Harrogate hospital is now 24.

Public Health England’s Medical Director, Professor Yvonne Doyle, warned yesterday that while the number of people in hospital with coronavirus in London was stabilising, Yorkshire and the North East is an area “where pressure was building”.

Todays figures show that across England a further 667 people died from coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals to 10,261.

Patients were aged between 17 and 101 years old.  40 of them had no known underlying health condition.

These figures do not include deaths outside hospital, such as those in care homes.

The Stray Ferret has been capturing some of the creative rainbow displays, that continue to appear in peoples windows across the borough.

Thousands of children are being encouraged to make the pictures to ‘spread hope’ amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The idea is to give passers-by something to smile at, whilst also giving children the opportunity to get creative whilst staying at home.

Easter is usually a time for meeting up with family and friends, taking part in Easter egg hunts and enjoying the outdoors. However, this year people are being told to stay at home and abide by government guidelines in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

There has still been some ‘socially distanced’ entertainment for families in Harrogate, as Rascal the Easter Bunny has been dancing down the streets of Harrogate.

Melanie Vauvelle Don, who runs Rascals Entertainment in Harrogate, has organised the Bunny walks, which are taking place each day over the Easter Weekend. She said:

“It’s a family activity, Cameron my husband dresses up as Rascal, myself and my son Harrison pull along the jukebox… We use our one hour of exercise each day to go out and cheer up our neighbourhood. Everyone loves it, young and old!”

They have taken a different route each day, starting from their address in Hutton Gate and walking along nearby streets.

Monday will be the last walk and the route can be found on the Rascals Entertainment Facebook page.

Rascal the Easter Bunny