A former chair of Healthwatch North Yorkshire has described the suspension of visitors to hospitals in Harrogate and Ripon as a “scandal” and called for the decision to be reversed.

NHS Harrogate and District Foundation Trust introduced the measure yesterday at Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital due to the threat of the Omicron variant.

Visitors are now only allowed for patients on end of life care, or if a patient has a learning disability or severe cognitive impairment like dementia. Parents or carers of children and birthing partners are also permitted.

Ripon Community Hospital, Firby Lane

It means that many patients will not be able to see their families and loved ones on Christmas Day.

Read more:

• Hundreds of Harrogate hospital staff still unvaccinated
• Harrogate and Ripon hospitals restrict visitors due to Omicron

Chris Brackley, who lives in Harrogate and stepped down in October as chair of Healthwatch, which gives patient feedback to NHS leaders so services can be improved, told the Stray Ferret:

“Harrogate and District Foundation Trust needs to reverse these measures immediately. They are unfair and an absolute scandal.

“If necessary bring in the requirement for visitors to provide proof of a negative lateral flow test. It may not be popular but it would be far better to give people that option.

“From the data I have seen I see no reason to bring in restriction on visitors. We at least need a date for when these measures are going to be under review.

“These new measures were communicated poorly and will leave many alone this Christmas, like my 91-year-old mother in law who fell at home and is suffering with a fractured pelvis.”

Harrogate District Hospital.

Mr Brackley added that he believed the number of unvaccinated frontline staff at Harrogate and District Foundation Trust posed a greater coronavirus risk than visitors, who could have had three vaccinations.

Decision ‘not taken lightly’

Last month the Stray Ferret reported that there were believed to be 450 unvaccinated frontline health staff at the trust, although that number is likely to have been reduced.

The Stray Ferret asked the trust to comment on Mr Brackley’s views.

Emma Nunez, executive director of nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals at the trust, said:

“This decision has not been taken lightly and it is one which trust’s across the country are having to consider. Many trusts already restrict visiting and others are currently considering putting similar restrictions in place.

“We understand that this will be disappointing for people who have a loved one in our care, and we apologise for any upset that this will cause, but we have had to take this difficult decision to protect both our patients and our staff.

“We will be reviewing our visitor arrangements regularly and we will look to relax visiting restrictions at the earliest opportunity.”

The NHS Trust running Harrogate and Ripon’s hospitals has said visitors will only be allowed onto wards in exceptional circumstances due to the threat of the Omicron variant.

Officials at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the “highly transmissible” nature of the variant has meant it must bring in new measures.

The new rules will come into place on December 23 and will mean visitors will only be allowed onto wards in certain circumstances.

The exceptions are:

• If the patient is receiving end of life care
• Carers of a patients with a learning disability or severe cognitive impairment such as dementia
• Parents or carers of a children
• Birthing partners

The changes also apply to people coming for outpatient appointments. Patients won’t be bale to bring someone with them unless it is they are a parent of a child or a carer.

Emma Nunez, executive director of nursing, midwifery & allied health professionals at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“This decision has not been taken lightly. We understand that this will be disappointing for people who have a loved one in our care, and we apologise for any upset that this will cause, but we have had to take this difficult decision to protect both our patients and our staff.

“We will be reviewing our visitor arrangements regularly and we will look to relax visiting restrictions at the earliest opportunity.”

Read more:

• Vaccine updates: Christmas opening hours for Harrogate vaccine centre
• Disabled Harrogate woman threatened with Christmas eviction from care home

The hospital has had to make this decision before in previous covid peaks and says, once again, it must make the safety of patients and staff a priority.

The trust also emphasised the need for everyone to get behind the vaccine and booster roll-out. It said nearly 90% of its staff have had a first and second dose.

A vaccination centre has been set up at Harrogate hospital as part of the acceleration of the booster vaccine programme. Appointments can be booked on the NHS website.

Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital have relaxed the visitor rules for all inpatients.

From today the hospitals will allow one visitor per patient as long as they book beforehand by calling the relevant ward.

Visitors will need to complete a coronavirus questionnaire and will only be allowed in the hospital between 2pm and 4pm.

The hospitals have urged people not to arrive on the doorstep without booking, so they can carefully manage numbers.

Read more:

• Harrogate has second-highest coronavirus death rate in county
• County council needs more funding to tackle future coronavirus costs

All visitors must also wear personal protective equipment including a mask, a visor and an apron, which will be provided upon arrival.

There is more information for those visiting patients at end of life, with a learning disability, and with dementia, on the hospital website.

The relaxing of rules comes as the hospital has gone 11 days without reporting any coronavirus deaths.