First glance at Harrogate’s new £1.5m padel and gym centre

A new £1.5 million fitness hub opened in Harrogate today featuring the largest indoor padel tennis centre in the UK and an “affordable but boutique” gym.

Coach gym and Surge Padel are located in the same unit, called the Matrix Building, on Hornbeam Park.

It is a major investment in the town after a difficult couple of years for business. The new venture has also created 40 jobs.

Padel tennis is one of the fastest growing sports in the country. This development seeks to put Harrogate at the epicentre of that surge in interest. It’s the largest of its kind in the country with six courts.

Surge Padel has only opened on the first floor of the building but International Padel Federation is already considering it as the potential host of its European Championships.

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Coach which can be found on the ground floor and comes with more than 200 pieces of equipment and guided classes.

Stuart Perrin, who owns both Coach and Surge Padel, told the Stray Ferret:

“People of Harrogate are already voting with their feet and moving here. I think they appreciate this premium product at an affordable price, particularly in this economic climate.

“It just so happens that I used to live in Harrogate and it’s close to where I live now so it was an easy decision for me when this property came up.

“We were planning to open the first Coach in Leeds when the first lockdown came. It was a difficult time but that business was very successful.

“During the lockdowns we were on the search for more properties as a result. So we have more places in the pipeline and think now is the time to invest.”

So it seems more jobs could be on the way too as the business expands across the UK, with head office based in the same Hornbeam Park building.

More pictures from Coach and Surge Padel:

Padel is a different type of tennis.

It is the largest indoor padel tennis court in the UK.

Coach has more than 200 pieces of equipment.

Staff can help with training.

Both Coach and Surge Padel are based at Hornbeam Park.

Private Harrogate hospital drafts in robot with £250,000 investment

A private hospital in Harrogate has drafted in a robotic surgical assistant and made improvements at the building with a £250,000 investment.

BMI The Duchy Hospital, based on Queen’s Road, is now the only hospital in the Harrogate district with the ROSA Knee System.

The robot is designed to help surgeons carry out more personalised procedures with a greater degree of accuracy.

It has a robotic arm that is guided by the surgeon. The robot also analyses data to help surgeons plan, carry out and assess the knee replacement.

This investment comes as the private hospital, which is part of the Circle Health Group, continues its work with Harrogate and District Foundation Trust to help ease NHS waiting lists.

Orthopaedic surgery among the most in-demand services in the NHS.

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Professor Nick London, Mr David Duffy, Mr Jon Conroy and Mr Mark Farndon have used the new system.

Professor Nick London said:

“So far we’ve had excellent outcomes for patients. As we continually strive towards getting 100 per cent of patients the best outcome from their surgery, there is a significant group who may benefit from the advantages the ROSA robot brings.”

Rick Sanders, executive director at BMI The Duchy Hospital, said:

“We are delighted that robotic-assisted knee surgery is now available here in Harrogate. It gives our highly experienced consultant surgeons the option of using this state-of-the-art equipment.”

The investment also means new camera system for surgery, new LED lighting and redecorated interior.

Mr Sanders added:

“As patient activity at our hospital increases and we continue to work closely with the Harrogate District Foundation Trust to ease their waiting lists. The improvements will help us offer the best experience possible for our patients.”

Council social care staff in Harrogate district to get £320 thank-you bonus

North Yorkshire County Council is set to distribute up to £9.2m between care firms and their staff in a bid to ease the staffing crisis.

The local authority has had to ask staff in non-critical services such as highways to help keep vulnerable people safe due to a severe shortage of care workers.

So the council’s executive will tomorrow consider match funding a £3m NHS grant to give the county’s 16,000 care sector worker a “thank-you bonus” of about £320 to recognise their efforts this winter.

The payment will effectively bring forward the national living wage increase by four months.

A meeting of the authority’s leading members will also examine a proposal to offer care firms grants of up to £40,000 to support initiatives to increase or retaining their workforces.

1,000 jobs available

The proposed moves come at a time of continuing fierce competition for the care sector in the labour market. On any given day there are at least 1,000 care sector jobs available across the county.

In the autumn, the council launched its biggest ever recruitment drive in response to declining numbers applying for social care jobs, while care providers in the county have been offering extra financial incentives to staff to take on the roles, from £1,500 golden handshakes to carers being offered £2,000 for referring three friends.

An officers’ report to the executive states:

“During 2021 it has become clear that workforce issues, specifically difficulty in recruiting and retaining front line care workers are becoming a significant issue not only for social care but also having a knock-on effect for the NHS, both in terms of the continuing health care services which it funds and in relation to availability of care to enable safe and timely hospital discharge.”

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‘Won’t fix long-term problems’

Councillor Michael Harrison, a Conservative who represents Lower Nidderdale and Bishop Monkton who is also the authority’s adult services and health executive member, said there were a host of good career opportunities in the care sector but earning the minimum wage in the care sector required a relatively high commitment from workers compared to other minimum wage jobs.

He said:

“This is effectively a bonus, a small recognition of the effort that those workers are making, but it’s not going to fix the long-term structural issues in the sector.

“It does reflect a wider realisation from central government that more needs to be done to improve the pay for the sector and particularly the people at the bottom of the pay scale. It’s a welcome start to the year, but more needs to be done to reflect the value of what those people do in their pay packet.

“We hope central government will realise they need to divert money from their new National Insurance tax that they will be raising so that it doesn’t just focus on the NHS. People are recognising that social care is an integral part of that health system.”

Harrogate district reports 315 covid cases as rate stabilises

Another 315 positive covid infections have been reported today in the Harrogate district.

Latest government figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average is 1,467 per 100,000 people, slightly up on yesterday’s figure of 1,428.

It remains below both the county average, which is 1,583. The England rate is 1,672.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

According to government figures, 104,727 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

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Meanwhile, Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith has said the supply of covid tests is improving after complaints that the system is in “chaos”, with health workers and residents left empty-handed.

Conservative MP Mr Smith said the government recognised there has been a surge in demand for tests and that while supply chains were improving, he would write to Health Secretary Sajid Javid to highlight the issue.

Harrogate district covid rate remains high as vaccine centre moves

The Harrogate district’s covid rate continues to climb after another 325 infections were reported today.

Latest figures show that the district’s seven-day covid average stands at 1,543 per 100,000 people.

But it remains below both the county average, which stands at 1,680, and the England rate of 1,853.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

According to government figures, 103,687 booster or third jabs have been given in the Harrogate district, as of today.

A total of 135,761 have had first jabs and 126,742 have had second jabs.

Latest available hospital figures show a total of 23 patients who tested positive for covid are currently being treated at Harrogate District Hospital.

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North Yorkshire County Council this week stepped up emergency planning to mitigate for what it calls a “significant reduction” in staff across critical care services and the wider care sector amid rising covid rates.

Meanwhile, Harrogate’s main vaccination centre has moved out of the Yorkshire Event Centre and into the goat shed on the opposite side of the showground.

Those due for a booster or anyone who wants to get their first or second dose should enter the Great Yorkshire Showground site by the Sainsburys entrance off Wetherby Road.

Continue past Fodder and the Harrogate Caravan Park. Signs and volunteers lead to the vaccine centre, which is on the right hand side through the gates. Park under shelter of the sheep shed.

Harrogate young carer attends Westminster Abbey event for heroes

A 14-year-old carer from Harrogate spent a special day with her family at the Duchess of Cambridge’s Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey.

Jasmine Clark was among a group of community heroes invited to the service this month to thank them for their efforts during the pandemic.

Jasmine is a carer for her 15-year-old brother Dylan, who has Williams syndrome, a developmental disorder.  She has also helped her mum Sophia, who has suffered from mental health problems during the pandemic.

Sophia said the day was “so emotional and overwhelming”, adding:

“I was in tears all day, it was a very proud moment.”

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The family has been supported by the charity Action for Children.

Rossett School

Sophia said her daughter has been the “the rock between us all” during a difficult time.

“She’s been there in so many ways. I don’t know where we’d be without her.”

Jasmine, who is in year nine at Harrogate’s Rossett School, said “it felt amazing” to attend the service, which included performances from the Westminster Abbey choir, Leona Lewis and Ellie Goulding.

She added:

“I was so happy to get the opportunity to go and see Kate and William.”

The concert will be shown on ITV at 7:30pm tonight.

‘Positive’ feedback from stroke patients sent outside Harrogate for emergency treatment

Feedback from stroke patients sent outside the Harrogate district for emergency treatment has been “largely positive,” an NHS official has said.

Under major changes introduced in 2019, ambulances began taking patients to specialist units at Leeds or York hospitals rather than Harrogate after evidence showed they had a better chance of survival – even if travel times are increased.

Simon Cox, director of acute commissioning at North Yorkshire’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, said there are now “early indications” that the changes have had a “positive impact” on patients, although he added a full review would be carried out.

He said in a report:

“We have carried out a qualitative survey of those patients who have been through the direct transfer stroke pathway to gather feedback on their experiences which have been largely positive.

“It is timely now, as part of the integrated care system-wide review of hyper acute provision, to conduct a thorough review of the outcomes of the changes.”

The changes were introduced following a national review which found larger, more specialist stroke units were better equipped to increase survival rates and improve recovery times.

Around 300 people in the Harrogate district fall seriously ill with a stroke each year, with two thirds being taken to Leeds and the other third to York.

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Once patients have received treatment at the specialist units, they are either discharged home with support from a rehabilitation team or transferred to Harrogate District Hospital for ongoing care.

Mr Cox previously said figures on survival rates had been “significantly skewed” by the pandemic and would be published at a later date.

He explained the figures were “skewed” as fewer patients had presented at hospitals with stroke symptoms due to Covid fears – something he added was “concerning”.

In his report to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s scrutiny of health committee on Friday, Mr Cox provided some examples of the positive feedback.

One patient said:

“The doctors and staff in the stroke unit of York Hospital were fantastic – so kind and caring and I will always be indebted to them for literally saving my life.”

However, not all feedback has been positive with some residents in Scarborough raising concerns over similar changes introduced in the area.

Mr Cox said in his report that questions over transport times and staffing levels had  been raised during public consultation events held in November.

He said:

“There was a vocal minority who challenged the move to the new stroke pathway, despite the clinical benefits.

“Although some anxieties remain about the new stroke pathways for the east coast and Harrogate areas, particularly from residents on the east coast and mainly related to travel and  transport times, those who experienced the new pathway were very positive about the care that they received.”

82 positive covid cases reported in Harrogate district

The Harrogate district has reported a further 82 covid cases, according to today’s government figures.

The district’s covid rate now stands at 416 infections per 100,000 people.

Across the county, the average stands at 372 and the England rate is 490.

No further deaths from patients who tested positive for covid have been reported at Harrogate District Hospital, according to NHS England.

A total of 200 patients have died with covid at the hospital since the start of the pandemic.

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Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground reopened this week as a vaccination site. The Stray Ferret spoke to some of those on site this week.

About 20,000 people are expected to receive booster jabs there between December 6 and 22. Another 35,000 are set to follow in the New Year.

Those eligible can book appointments on the NHS booking site here.

Queues in Harrogate as demand for booster jabs soars

Queues formed at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate this morning as people took up the offer of walk-in booster jabs for over-18s.

The vaccination centre at the Yorkshire Event Centre is currently offering walk-ins for anyone over 18 until Sunday. Walk-ins will then be reviewed.

People were so keen to get the jab that they were willing to queue outdoors in the cold for about an hour.

While staff at the centre were too busy to talk, those outside were upbeat about the prospect of receiving boosters.

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Donna Jones told the Stray Ferret:

“I do have an appointment booked for Knaresborough but I would rather get it done sooner rather than later.

“The walk-ins are brilliant. It’s much easier because I live in Harrogate. Everyone should have their booster, it’s great to see so many people here so we can move forward.”

Alex Lewis Jones, 21, said:

“I was at work yesterday when my mum told me about the opportunity for a walk-in appointment. We are planning to go away at Christmas so it’s best to get it done before that.

“It’s good that people have shown up and it’s good that the centre has put walk-ins on. Yes you might have to queue a bit but it’s much better in the long run.”

Chloe Scott added:

“I brought my mother who is clinically extremely vulnerable. I am delighted that there is the opportunity for me to get the booster too.

“It’s great that so many people are keen to get their boosters, especially with omicron on the rise and before Christmas when people want to mix.”

Under pressure Harrogate hospital apologises for delays

Harrogate District Hospital has apologised for delays faced by patients and outlined the pressures staff are facing at the start of a busy winter period.

The plea for understanding came after a difficult weekend, which culminated in the hospital urging those with less severe illness or injury to go to Ripon Community Hospital.

A combination of coronavirus patients needing care for longer and issues discharging patients means the hospital has the highest number of longer stay patients so far this year.

Some patients have not been discharged because home care services are not available.

It means longer waiting times across wards, community services and in the emergency department.

The hospital hopes that the completion of an upgrade to its elderly care ward next week will increase winter bed capacity and reduce pressures.

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

“Recently we have been experiencing a very busy period at Harrogate District Hospital, across our wards, community services and in the emergency department. This has meant people with less urgent issues are experiencing longer waiting times.

“It has also been more difficult recently to discharge some of our patients who no longer require hospital care, as there is less availability of home care to support people safely in their own homes.

“Difficulties in discharging patients combined with the extended stay required for patients with covid has meant the hospital currently has its highest number of longer stay patients so far this year. This has led to a reduction in the number of empty beds available for new admissions.

“We know our colleagues in social care and our team at HDFT are working incredibly hard to reduce these pressures. We are working closely with our partners in social care, both locally and across North Yorkshire, to ensure patients are able to be discharged as soon as they are well enough to no longer require hospital care. Upgrades to our elderly care ward will also be completed next week, which will increase winter bed capacity.

“We would like to apologise to those patients who might have to wait longer than usual when they visit the hospital to access our services. Unless it’s a life-threatening or severe illness or injury, we would ask them to contact NHS 111 first. The NHS will help you right away and if you need urgent care, the NHS can book you in to be seen quickly and safely.

“People with life-threatening illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and anyone who arrives at A&E without calling NHS 111 will still receive medical care, with those needing emergency treatment prioritised.”