Local healthcare professionals have urged people eligible to get their flu jab this year to protect the NHS against a difficult winter season.

This year there has been an increase in demand for the vaccine. New groups are now eligible including those aged 50-64, and people who may have previously chosen not to take up the vaccine are also contributing to the rise.

Public Health England has warned there are greater risks associated with contracting covid and the flu together especially if the person is in a high risk group.

With increased demand and the need for social distancing, GP surgeries and others are having to carefully coordinate the way they deliver vaccinations.

In Boroughbridge, the local Lions group is helping Church Lane surgery with traffic management to ensure the increased number of patients get to their appointments safely.

Boroughbridge Lions representative Paul Bullivant said:

“Last year there were queues around the surgery with people waiting so this year we are helping them with traffic management. This year patients have timed slots so it’s much easier. We’re happy to do our bit to help the community.”

Volunteers from Boroughbridge Lions volunteered to help with traffic management. Credit: Sue Johnson.

Dr Duncan Petty, who lives in Harrogate and is a member of the English Board of The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, has urged people to get the vaccine to help prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed during winter.

He said:

“It is important for people to protect themselves, but also the NHS: if you are at risk of catching covid, getting both is dangerous.

“The sensible thing is to get the vaccine so the NHS isn’t overwhelmed. It’s the one thing people can do to help themselves and the NHS.”

Dr Petty is confident the supply of flu vaccines currently held by the NHS is enough to cover demand. He said it is the logistics behind vaccinating an increased number of people that could take time.

Read more:

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The NHS website says those at most risk will be vaccinated first, and those aged 50-64 will be contacted in November and December.

North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has said the supplies of the vaccine are being prioritised by GP practices based on clinical need.

Its governing body GP, Dr Bruce Willoughby, said:

“We’re seeing a high patient demand for the influenza vaccine and early indications suggest the uptake in the Harrogate district is higher than this time last year.

“In spite of the challenges presented by covid 19, we’re not seeing any particular issues with flu clinics. Practices continue to prioritise the highest risk patient groups first, but across York and North Yorkshire we fully intend to reach all eligible patients.”

It is urging people to take this “additional layer of protection”.

Dr Petty added:

“It may cause a few side effects but it could save your life. People need to remember it’s not just for yourself it may be for others in your family or to help your local hospital.”

Some children’s services in schools are set to be scrapped as part of cuts by North Yorkshire County Council.

Hearing and vision screening for four and five-year-olds and sexual health drop-ins are among the services facing the axe.

The council executive will next week discuss the plans, which aim to save £750,000 over three years on the local authority’s healthy child programme.

The council hopes these cuts will help it meet its overall plan to save £4 million.

If the plans are approved, they will go to consultation on October 26.

The programme, which supports 130,000 young people aged 0-19 in North Yorkshire and their families, is worth £70m over 10 years.

Dr Lincoln Sargeant, North Yorkshire’s director of public health, said:

“We must take account of the national changes in public health funding, which will see a reduction across the board of around 15%.

“We will continue to deliver mandatory health checks for children under five years old and will continue to support new parents with a focus on those children and families most in need.”

‘Not the same level of service’

A report prepared for the executive meeting says:

“The proposed programme will not be able to provide the level of service that it currently provides to school aged children. Some services provided in school settings will stop, including hearing and vision screening for children aged 4-5 years and sexual health services drop-ins in schools.”

Currently children receive five in-person check-ups to the age of five, but under the new proposals three of these could be done virtually.

The report says the proposals would prioritise children aged under five.

Under the proposals, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which delivers the programme in partnership with the council, would be awarded a 10-year contract.

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Suzanne Lamb, head of safeguarding at the trust, said:

“While the trust recognises that the future model will need to look very different to what is being offered now, we appreciate the opportunity to continue to work closely with North Yorkshire County Council in a longer term arrangement.

“This will ensure more targeted support in relation to need and new ways of working including support via digital channels.”

Harrogate councillor Geoff Webber, who is the Liberal Democrats leader on the council, criticised government cuts for forcing the council to reduce its services. He said:

“It is disgraceful the government have chosen this time to reduce public health spending in North Yorkshire by £4 million over the next few years.

“I am sure that members of all parties will support the effort to maintain the healthy child service and we look forward to seeing the result of the public consultation.”

A further 552 people in England, who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 19,301.  87 of the latest deaths were in the Yorkshire and North East regions.

Harrogate hospital has so far reported that 44 of its patients who tested positive for coronavirus have died. This latest death was reported on Sunday 26th April.

The reported deaths today were aged between 31 and 99 years old. 38 had no known underlying health condition.

The NHS England figures released today do not account for those who have died of suspected coronavirus but were not tested, such as those in care homes.

Olivia Grigoras is a Maternity Support Worker at Harrogate Hospital. She told the Stray Ferret that she was ‘In tears’ last night when she heard the applause and cheers for healthcare workers on the street outside her house. She then had an ‘even more tearful’ experience this morning, when she woke up to a lovely surprise from her 6 year old daughter, Iris.

At 8pm last night people from all over the Harrogate district took part in a nationwide “Clap for Carers” tribute, saluting NHS and care workers dealing with the coronavirus pandemic. People from all over the district have sent us videos of their applause. A message from the NHS on social media described the tribute as ’emotional’.

North Yorkshire Police says that public help and vigilance is needed, following high-profile county lines drug raids across Harrogate.

Detective Superintendent Steve Thomas, of North Yorkshire Police, has revealed a list of “key challenges” for the force and says although three county lines drug dealing routes into Harrogate have been smashed, there is still work to do,

He said that it was a priority for one of Britain’s safest towns that police resources were going into the fight against drug dealers, in a bid to keep them out of North Yorkshire.

Speaking at the recent Overview and Scrutiny committee, at Harrogate Borough Council, he said: “There is a drug using community here in Harrogate and weapons are being used to protect the business model to make it work.

“All our police resources have been put into county lines. We are working to stop the gap being filled after recent arrests and keep them out of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.”

His comments come after two police operations to smash drug dealing involving more than 70 officers from North Yorkshire Police, West Yorkshire Police and the National Crime Agency. They targeted a series of addresses relating to county lines dealing, which has seen 18 arrests to date.

He said that Operation Jackal had taken eight months of intensive police work – focusing on gangs in Bradford and also criminality in Harrogate, bringing a total of 18 arrests so far.

Lowest crime rate

Although Harrogate is officially one of the “safest” places to live in Britain, with the lowest crime rate in England and Wales, it has not deterred the infiltration of drug dealers.

People who live and work in North Yorkshire are around twice as unlikely to fall victim to crime compared to other areas, despite a 12% increase in recorded offences, with violent crime, stalking and robbery on the rise, according to the latest crime figures.

Acting superintendent Andy Colbourne

Acting Superintendent Andy Colbourne, of North Yorkshire Police, pictured above, added: “County lines remains a major priority for North Yorkshire Police and I hope our recent operation provides reassurance to the people of Harrogate that we will take action against the scourge of drug dealing, particularly where it affects some of the most vulnerable people in society.

“We urge anyone who has any information about drug dealing in their neighbourhood to contact us on 101 or if they prefer, to pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers. Every piece of information helps us to build up a bigger picture and informs our operational activity. As you can see, we are determined to rid our communities of the misery and associated crime that drug dealing causes.”