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.”

Read more:

• Kids are using harmful skincare products, warns Harrogate skin care specialist
• Knaresborough floods ‘not related to condition of drains’, says council 

A doctors’ practice that has been looking after patients in Harrogate for three-quarters of a century will be changing its name in the new year. 

Dr Moss & Partners was founded in 1947 – before the advent of the NHS – and has clinics opposite the convention centre on King’s Road, in the Jennyfields area of Harrogate, and in Killinghall.

From February 1 it will be known as Moss Healthcare Harrogate and have a new logo. 

Dr Moss & Partners on King’s Road in Harrogate.

In a letter sent today to to the firm’s 19,600 patients, senior partner Dr Nick Taylor said:

“Our decision to change our identity reflects the role of modern general practice and the different healthcare specialists patients can now access.

“Our practice now incorporates a much wider range of healthcare professionals and non-clinical staff.

“If you’re unwell, or living with a long-term condition, the best people to help aren’t necessarily doctors.”

In addition to its doctors, the practice now also provides services from nurses, healthcare assistants, advanced clinical practitioners, first-contact physiotherapists, pharmacists and social prescribers. 

This story is sponsored by Myrings.

Harrogate’s Leading Family Estate Agent Myrings has partnered with Martin House Children’s Hospice to support families with its new charity boards initiative.

Martin House provides hospice care for children and young people with life-limiting illnesses free of charge across North, West and East Yorkshire.

To support Martin House, Myrings will donate £10 for every “for sale” or “to let” board in Harrogate and the surrounding villages.

The new charity initiative is starting now so residents will start to see the new Martin House boards popping up soon and it will continue for the foreseeable future.

Gemma Myring, co-founder and director at Myrings, told the Stray Ferret:

“Martin House is a big part of Harrogate and has touched so many lives.

“We simply cannot praise the staff and volunteers enough. The hospice provides selfless dedication and love to those who need it most.

“It has been one of the guiding principles at Myrings from the day we opened our doors to ‘put something back’ into our hometown where we all live and work.

“Myrings has been in the property business for more than 20 years. It’s a long time but not close to the 35 years Martin House has faithfully served our community.”

Myrings has adapted many times over the years, investing heavily into the website and software.

However, the estate agents believes that a welcoming, dedicated and individual service is greatly valued by Yorkshire people so has recently remodelled its offices to allow for a more personal and private client experience.

Please look out for the new Myrings and Martin House boards over the coming months – and call in to see the team for a chat and a coffee soon.

Harrogate-based S&SA Architects will be expanding the company to Leeds city centre.

The architect practice, which operates out of a head office in Harrogate, will open its new office at Park House in Park Square in April.

The company had continued to grow during the pandemic and received several notable commissions in the healthcare and residential sectors, which created a demand for its expansion.

Inside the new office at Park House Credit: S&SA Architects

It plans to recruit people in roles at all levels, including in apprenticeship and senior positions.

Chris Paraskos, associate architect at S&SA Architects, said:

“We’re incredibly excited about this expansion. The office location is easily accessible for our diverse London and Leeds clients, being only a few moments’ walk from the station.

“It also offers all our staff the ability to work flexibly at home and across both offices. It will encourage collaboration between teams and better wellbeing, which is a part of our cultural response to the changing world of hybrid work post covid.”

S&SA Architects specialises in residential, retail, logistics, healthcare, sports and leisure sectors. Clients include Tesco, Keepmoat, Exemplar Healthcare and Broadacres.

Read more:

• Bank machines to be fitted in Knaresborough Library building
• Harrogate bakery expands with £250k project