health Archives - Page 7 of 21

Harrogate woman helps scientists create a robot for mammogramsResearch study launched in Harrogate district to improve children and families health

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) has announced a research study has been launched in the district to help improve the health of children and families.

Pregnant women are being invited by their midwife to join the research programme which aims to find out what influences the health and wellbeing of families.

HDFT has become the latest NHS Trust to join Born and Bred in (BaBi), a network of local birth studies that work together to link existing data across health, education, and social care to create a picture of families’ lives over time.

The data will highlight any inequalities in the region and help to shape local services, creating a healthier environment for families.

If mothers to be wish to participate their routine health data will be recorded by the health services they access themselves or for their child.

Health researchers then link together routinely collected data from parent and child, such as such as blood pressure measurements or the details of baby’s height and weight to see how health care and services could be improved.

This helps researchers to create a bigger picture of the challenges within the district. It will give insights into what works well and what can be made better to improve local services for the future.

They may identify relationships between things that happen in pregnancy and a child’s future health, or highlight if childhood conditions such as asthma, are more prevalent in one particular area of the district.

One of the first local mums to sign up to the study was Georgina Fogarty, whose son, Freddie, was the first BaBi Harrogate baby. Georgina said:

“Babi Harrogate is a great research project, providing helpful data that will help us to learn more about the health and care of mothers and babies living in the district.”

Leanne Likaj, associate director of midwifery, at HDFT said:

“We are delighted to launch the BaBi research project in Harrogate following on from its success in other maternity units across the region. We are passionate about babies having the best start in life and collecting BaBi data will be a great help.

“This is a really exciting development and we are looking forward to seeing the impact of joining this information together to improve the health of children and families in the future. Anyone who is currently receiving care from our Harrogate maternity service and is interested in taking part should speak to their midwife about how to enrol.”

The BaBi concept began in Bradford. The network now consists of 11 trusts, including Leeds, York and Scarborough, Doncaster and Hull.

More information about BaBi Harrogate is available here.

Discover the hyperbaric oxygen therapy centre in the heart of HarrogateCommunity diagnostic centre opens at Ripon hospital

A community diagnostic centre has opened at Ripon Community Hospital.

The £1 million centre aims to provide Ripon residents with faster access to checks, scans and tests for a wide range of health conditions.

It has the capacity to deliver more than 27,000 checks a year and will enable Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust to offer more appointments for tests, reduce waiting times and make it easier for the local community to access diagnostic services closer to home.

The centre offers services to people who have been referred by their GP for conditions including musculoskeletal problems, lung conditions, cardiovascular conditions and hearing issues.

A number of services have not been available at Ripon Community Hospital before, including ultrasound, echocardiography, audiology, blood tests, ambulatory blood pressure monitor fitting, electrocardiogram (ECG), spirometry (breathing and lung function tests) and tests for asthma.

Later this month, a new x-ray room will be opened in the centre using the latest diagnostic imaging technology that can capture and processes images faster than current equipment, which will reduce waiting times.

Located on the ground floor of the hospital, the centre will initially be open five days a week from 8am to 6pm, with plans to expand to seven days a week by the end of 2024. The x-ray service once opened will be available seven days a week.

Matt Graham, director of strategy at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the centre would provide “a huge benefit for the people of Ripon and the surrounding area”.

He added:

“It is a significant step forward in improving the range of diagnostic tests available in Ripon and it is helping us improve access to healthcare for our rural population. People now have the opportunity to have tests completed on their doorstep rather than having to travel further afield.

“We have been working closely with GPs in Ripon since the start of the project so that we can streamline access to our community diagnostic centre for those people who need it.”

Wendy Balmain, NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board director for North Yorkshire, said:

“This is fantastic news for people living in Ripon and surrounding area and will mean they will have convenient access to a wide range of diagnostic tests.

“It’s a revolution in the way patients access diagnostic services and will speed up the detection of many serious illnesses, meaning patients can start their treatment and recovery much sooner.”

Knaresborough woman awarded palliative care award at national care awards

A Knaresborough woman has won the palliative care award at the national finals of the Great British Care Awards.

Karen Crampton is live-in carer from Carefound Home Care, Harrogate. The company is a provider of local home care services that enable older people to live at home and has branches in Wilmslow, West Bridgford, Harrogate and York.

As a professional live-in carer, Ms Crampton provides round-the-clock care to her clients in their own homes. The role enables patients to remain at home, including at the end of life.

The Great British Care Awards celebrate excellence across the care sector and took place at the ICC in Birmingham on March 22.

Ms Crampton was named as the national winner of the palliative care award, recognising the end-of-life care she provides to older people in their own homes. She previously won the regional award at the Yorkshire & Humberside event at the Royal Armouries in Leeds.

TV celebrities Rylan Clark and Steve Walls presented the award to her at the awards ceremony.

Ms Crampton said:

“I feel a little overwhelmed, but winning this national award was just really wonderful. I really do love my job and even though it’s challenging and hard work at times, the joy I get out of giving such personal care when it truly matters outweighs it all. I truly care for my clients and their families and want them to feel safe in the knowledge that everything will be taken care of with dignity and respect for all involved.

“I have worked at Carefound Home Care for almost seven years now and giving such personal, one-to-one care is so rewarding and I can honestly say it’s the best feeling of job satisfaction I have known.”

Karen Crampton and Leonnie Martin from Carefound Home Care at the Great British Care Awards

The judges of The Great British Care Awards said:

“Karen’s exceptional compassion and understanding of the importance of love and quality experiences shine brightly. Going beyond the norm, she helps individuals create lasting memories, including outings in her motorhome. Her remarkable outlook on death is a gift to those facing it, making her a true inspiration.”

Carla Hainsworth, registered branch manager at Carefound Home Care in Harrogate, added:

“We’re incredibly proud of Karen for this national recognition of the outstanding care she provides to her clients. She has demonstrated a passion for providing palliative care at home and helps families to experience sensitive and dignified care at the end of life.

“We know that over 70% of people would prefer to die at home (according to Dying Matters, 2017) and Karen’s well-deserved award is a great example of how live-in care can make this happen and avoid unnecessary admissions to hospital.”

Harrogate hospital to review staff miscarriage support

Harrogate District Hospital is set to review its staff policies after the NHS announced plans to give paid leave for miscarriages.

This month, officials at NHS England revealed proposals to offer 10 days paid leave to staff who miscarry in the first 24 weeks of pregnancy.

The move comes as part of the organisation’s new pregnancy and baby loss policy.

Angela Wilkinson, director of people and culture at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said it already offered support to staff, including paid leave, in the event of losing a baby.

However, she added that the trust would review its policies in light of NHS England’s new guidelines to see what further support it could offer.

She said:

“The health and wellbeing of our colleagues is extremely important to us at HDFT. A miscarriage is a traumatic experience and any colleague who sadly loses a child is treated with care and compassion, and offered the support they need at such a difficult time.

“It is important that we give someone who experiences a miscarriage time to grieve and process what has happened. The policies we have in place at HDFT currently do provide specific support and paid time off in the event of baby loss.

“We will review NHS England’s new pregnancy and baby loss policy to assess how we can further strengthen the support we currently offer those colleagues who sadly experience such a tragedy.”

The move to roll out the policy by NHS England comes after it was first introduced by Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust in May 2023.

The trust, which provides health services in Hull and East Yorkshire, said it implemented the policy as a “compassionate move” for its staff.

Ripon man with incurable cancer to walk 268 miles for Harrogate charity

A Ripon man with an incurable cancer is walking the length of the Pennine Way to raise money for Harrogate cancer care centre, Active Against Cancer.

Anthony Henson, 53, aims to raise £10,000 for the charity, which helps cancer patients maintain a level of fitness as well as supporting their mental wellbeing.

Mr Henson, an architect from the outskirts of Ripon, was rushed to intensive care at St James’s Hospital in Leeds in 2022 after collapsing suddenly. He was later diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer.

At the end of 2022, he was given a pioneering operation and treatment which has extended his life. The operation was successful, but he the had to go through eight months of radiation therapy.

The treatment began last July and involves being injected with radiation, spending 24 hours in a lead-lined room and being checked with a Geiger counter to see if he can go home. The medication is flown in from Italy with Mr Henson saying, “it’s all a bit James Bond”.

He then has to isolate at home for two weeks until the radiation has diminished enough for him not to be harmful. This is repeated every two months meaning he is in isolation for eight weeks. He had his last treatment in January and has his final blood test next week.

During this isolation he began to walk the Pennine Way, which is 431 kilometres (268 miles) virtually in his garden, as well as taking walks along the way with friends and family when not isolating. His wife Fiona Henson, a teacher at Ripon Grammar School and their two children will support him on his virtual journey.

Mr Henson said:

“At first I was drained and just was trying to do up to two miles a day, your body takes such a pummelling but I have been fortunate in that I have had no pain, I just had sickness from the treatment. I started because I couldn’t go out and it kept me fit and I wanted to give something back to the phenomenal service.

“We have had amazing support. An incurable diagnosis is horrific for any family but the staff at Action Against Cancer, Macmillan’s and St James’s have done an amazing job keeping me alive I can never thank them enough. Active Against Cancer have kept up my physical and mental well-being for the past eight months and helped me live as normal a life as possible.

“Without them I would not have been able to deal with the treatments I have received and would not be able to continue to move forward, they have been a key part in keeping me alive and positive. I am therefore aiming to raise £10,000 to help support them so that they can help provide this vital service to those with cancer.”

Mr Henson is nearing the end of his challenge and has already raised over £8,000 of his £10,000 target.

To follow his journey or donate click here.

Read more:

Harrogate hospital cancelled 166 appointments due to December junior doctors’ strike

Harrogate District Hospital was forced to cancel 166 appointments as a result of a junior doctor’s strike before Christmas.

Members of the British Medical Association and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association walked out from December 20.

BMA members demonstrated until December 23, while HSCA members staged action until December 22.

Both unions announced the walk outs amid a dispute over pay with government.

As a result, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust was forced to cancel both outpatient and elective appointments.

A spokesperson for the trust said in total 168 appointments were cancelled between December 20 and December 22 due to the industrial action.

They added:

“We have re-arranged postponed appointments as a priority so that patients can be seen at the earliest available date – many will be within a week or two, whilst others may be a little longer.”

Meanwhile, the trust confirmed that its current cost estimate for staff to cover the walk outs is £153,000.

The hospital has also been hit by further industrial action in the new year.

Junior doctors who are members of the BMA are currently on strike until Tuesday (January 9).

The union staged the walk out on Wednesday (January 3) in what is set to be the longest strike action in NHS history.

Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said ahead of the demonstration:

“This strike marks another unhappy record for the NHS – the longest single walkout in its history. But as we have said all along, there is no need for any records to fall: we can call off this strike now if we get an offer from Government that we can put to members.

“Doctors want 2024 to be the start of a renewed workforce which can finally provide high quality care for patients again – it is for the Government to put forward a credible offer and facilitate that journey.”

Call for lessons to be learned after Ripon mum dies from sepsis at Harrogate hospital

A Ripon family has called for lessons to be learned after a mother died from sepsis at Harrogate District Hospital.

Angela Laybourn was admitted to the hospital on January 17, 2022, after suffering from lack of appetite and dehydration for around a week.

Blood tests showed she had metabolic acidosis – a build-up of acid in the body. However, this was not documented when she was assessed on a ward, an NHS investigation found.

Ms Laybourn was wrongly sent home three days after being admitted. However, she was readmitted to Harrogate hospital on January 22. She was incoherent and disorientated.

Further blood tests indicating metabolic acidosis weren’t acted upon. She died aged 62 in the early hours of January 24.

Following Angela’s death, husband David, instructed medical negligence lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate his wife’s care under Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

David, aged 64, has now joined his legal team at Irwin Mitchell in calling for lessons to be learned.

Megan Walker, the specialist medical negligence lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing David, said:

“Angela was a much-loved wife, mum and grandma, whose death has had a profound effect on all her family.

“Sadly, worrying issues in the care she received, and which contributed to her death, have been identified.

“While nothing can make up for what’s happened it’s now vital that the hospital trust learns lessons from the issues in this case to improve patient safety for others.

“We continue to support David and his family at this distressing time.”

Call for lessons to be learned

Ms Laybourn, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1999 and was paralysed from the neck down, died in the early hours of 24 January, 2022, after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Her cause of death was sepsis and metabolic acidosis caused by kidney stones.

She had a history of kidney stones. In December 2021 she underwent surgery to try and remove them. However, doctors were unable to remove all of the stones because of the complexity of the procedure.

Following legal submissions by Irwin Mitchell, the trust admitted that there was a failure to recognise and treat metabolic acidosis following her first admission on January 17. She shouldn’t have been discharged on 20 January, the trust acknowledged.

An internal investigation report by the hospital trust into Angela’s care identified a total of 18 key findings, root causes and contributory factors into her care.

These included that blood tests that showed metabolic acidosis following her initial hospital admission were not documented when Angela was assessed on a ward.

Mr Laybourn, who was Angela’s carer for 15 years, added:

“The only way I could describe losing Angela was total devastation. As a family, we couldn’t believe that she was really gone. The grandchildren were knocked for six. Angela’s whole life was based around her grandkids and kids, everything she did was child orientated. She has been taken from all of us.

“The first time that I was aware that Angela had been suffering from metabolic acidosis, was when we received her death certificate. We searched online for the term and were just in complete shock as looking at the symptoms that Angela had they fit the box of metabolic acidosis.

“We just felt let down that no one had picked up on this and that Angela could have been treated for this.

“I miss her all the time. The loss of Angela has created an emptiness in my life which will never be filled. All I can hope for is that by speaking out improvements in care can be made as I wouldn’t want others to go through the pain our family is.”

Trust apologises

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“We would like to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mrs Laybourn.

“We failed to deliver the level of care Mrs Laybourn and her family should have been able to expect and for this we would like to sincerely apologise.

“We are committed to learning from what has happened and are implementing new systems and processes to reduce the likelihood of important blood test results being missed to ensure we do all we can to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.”

Harrogate hospital braced for winter junior doctors strikes

Harrogate District Hospital is braced for two sets of winter strike action as junior doctors stage further walkouts.

Members of the British Medical Association and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association announced the industrial action amid a dispute over pay with government.

The latest round of walkouts will take place from 7am on Wednesday, December 20, until 7am on Saturday, December 23 for BMA members.

However, HCSA members will stop strikes a day earlier on 7am Friday, December 22.

Meanwhile, a further walkout from the BMA will take place in the new year on Wednesday, January 3, until 7am on Tuesday, January 9.

Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi, BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs, said:

“We have been clear from the outset of these talks that we needed to move at pace and if we did not have a credible offer, we would be forced to call strikes. After five weeks of intense talks, the government was unable to present a credible offer on pay by the deadline.

“Instead, we were offered an additional 3%, unevenly spread across doctors’ grades, which would still amount to pay cuts for many doctors this year. It is clear the government is still not prepared to address the real-terms pay cut doctors have experienced since 2008.”

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the industrial action is likely to impact on services and some appointments and elective surgery will be cancelled.

However, hospital officials said patients should continue to attend appointments unless contacted to reschedule.

A statement from the trust said:

“We understand this may cause our patients and their families to worry about how services will be delivered during this period. The safety of our patients is our primary concern and we have developed plans for the proposed action and its impact on our services, patients and staff. We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.

“Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.

“Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.”