Latest figures reveal how dramatically the covid rate of infection has fallen in the Harrogate district over the past month.
Data published by North Yorkshire County Council shows the seven-day rate of infection was 344 per 100,000 people on March 1.
On February 1, when the Omicron variant was rampant, the rate was 1,300 per 100,000 people.
Although the rate continues to fall, there have still been covid-related deaths reported at Harrogate District Hospital.
NHS England figures show that one death was recorded on February 28 and another on February 25.
There have been 232 covid-related deaths at the hospital since the pandemic started almost two years ago.
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From Tuesday, the rules for people visiting patients in Harrogate and Ripon’s hospitals will be relaxed.
Since December 23, visitors have only been allowed for patients on end-of-life care, patients with a learning disability or severe cognitive impairment such as dementia. Visits to parents or carers of children and birthing partners are also permitted.
But from Tuesday, patients can have one visitor, by appointment, between 2pm-4pm for 30 minutes. Only two visitors will be allowed in each bay at any one time.
Harrogate hospital trust appoints new board chairHarrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has appointed Sarah Armstrong as the new chair of its board.
Current chair Angela Schofield announced she is retiring having been in the role since November 2017.
Ms Armstrong, a former director of operations at Healthwatch and chief executive of York Centre for Voluntary Service, will take up the role from April 1.
She is also a non-executive director at Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a wholly-owned subsidiary company of the hospital trust that looks after its estate.
Ms Armstrong said:
“I am delighted to be appointed chair of HDFT. Being a non-executive director over the last few years has enabled me to understand the work that the trust does, and the difference it makes. I feel extremely proud to be part of HDFT and very much look forward to undertaking this new role.”
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Steve Russell, chief executive of HDFT, said:
“Sarah’s vast knowledge and experience has been invaluable since she joined the trust’s three years ago and I am looking forward to working with her in her new role.
“The energy and enthusiasm she brings is infectious and her inquisitive, challenging nature keeps us on our toes and ensures we are always striving to provide the best possible healthcare for our community.”
A man is recovering in hospital after being struck by a van driven by thieves at a Ripon supermarket.
The incident happened at 6.40pm last night at Morrisons.
According to North Yorkshire Police, a white utility van failed to stop after striking the unnamed man, who is in his 40s.
The extent of his injuries us now known.
A police statement said:
“The van did not stop at the scene and so we are appealing for information to help identify the vehicle and its occupants.
“Anyone who was in the area of Morrisons between 6.20pm and 6.50pm and has any dashcam or video footage, is asked to contact police.
“Dial 101, press 1 and pass information to the force control room, quoting reference number 12220012344.”
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‘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.”
An annual event held in remembrance of an avid golfer has raised over £1,200 for Harrogate District Hospital’s Intensive Treatment Unit.
Golfers from across the region descended on Knaresborough Golf Club to compete in the 12th annual Lee Flintoft Memorial Trophy Golf Event.
Mr Flintoft died after being stabbed aged 37 in 2009. He worked for SB Utilities in Knaresborough, which would hold frequent golf days to increase networking opportunities for the company.
Lee Flintoft (left), pictured in 2008 with Andrew Cooke and Robert Harris.
After his death, the corporate event became a charity fundraiser in his memory and has raised over £6,000 to date for local charities.
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This year’s competition was won by Gordon Dunn, who took home the coveted trophy.
Mr Flintoft’s sister, Tina Harris said:
Number of covid patients in Harrogate down to seven“As a family, we think it is wonderful that everyone involved is fundraising for such a fantastic cause.
“Lee meant so much to his family and friends that they have continued to fundraise in his name for the last 12 years for the care he received at HDFT.
“This year we raised £1,200 at the golf day. Darren Swales, commercial manager at Knaresborough Golf Club, puts a lot of time and effort into this event every year and I would like to thank him for his help.”
The number of covid patients in North Yorkshire’s hospitals has fallen — with just seven now in Harrogate District Hospital.
A press briefing today heard there are now 109 patients in the four main hospitals serving the county – down from 131 last week.
The latest figure includes six patients in Scarborough, seven in Harrogate, 27 in York and 69 in South Tees. Harrogate had eight patients last week.
Patient numbers had been climbing steadily since the end of June but did not reach levels seen during previous waves thanks to vaccinations weakening the link between infections and serious illness.
Despite this, Richard Webb, director of health and adult services at North Yorkshire County Council, said the wider health and social care sector was still facing “pretty exceptional” pressures.
Speaking at a meeting of North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, he said:
“The level of demand for both hospital and primary care, as well as community health services and social care, is pretty exceptional at the moment.
“This is not on the scale that we have seen during previous waves of covid but it is still something we are keeping a very close eye on.”
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Mr Webb also said weekly covid infection rates across the county had now plateaued after falling from record levels last month when the North Yorkshire average peaked at 590 cases per 100,000 people.
The latest figure now stands at 269 – just below the England average of 299. The Harrogate district rate is 289.
Secure 48-bike rack proposed for Harrogate hospitalPlans have been submitted for a 48-bike rack at Harrogate District Hospital.
Harrogate And District NHS Foundation Trust has submitted proposals to Harrogate Borough Council to build the new secure cycling storage.
It would be built to the right of the main entrance to the hospital next to the disabled car parking bays.
The rack would give staff and visitors a safe place to park their bikes following a spate of thefts at the hospital last year.
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Last summer, the Stray Ferret reported that there had been seven bicycle thefts at the hospital in three months, which North Yorkshire Police called “clearly outrageous”.
Some of the thefts affected key workers who found their bikes missing after long shifts.
The force offered hospital staff and local residents the option to have their bikes security marked in an effort to discourage the crime.
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Meanwhile, Public Health England has announced that only one more case of covid has been confirmed in the district, taking the total since the start of the pandemic to 7,643.
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The district’s seven-day rate has declined slightly to 20.5. This is lower than the Yorkshire and the England rate, which both stand at 23.9.
No more deaths were reported in the district today.
The covid death toll at the hospital is therefore still at 179 in total.
WATCH: NHS takes down Nightingale hospital in HarrogateStaff working on behalf of NHS England have dismantled large parts of the former Nightingale hospital in Harrogate, including the oxygen tanks that have loomed over the town for a year.
Construction workers started the job at 4am today, almost a year to the day since the temporary hospital started to take shape.
The stretch of Ripon Road immediately outside the Royal Hall and Harrogate Convention Centre was closed to traffic while cranes operated.
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We understand the CT scanners will also be removed later today.
The NHS confirmed last month it will dismantle all seven of the Nightingale hospitals across the country.
NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, which was the Harrogate Nightingale’s full name, which never treated any coronavirus patients.
But it was used to provide CT scans to non-coronavirus patients.
Harrogate District Hospital Trust provided over 17,000 fewer scans in the six months after the pandemic began than the six months prior.
The Stray Ferret has found data on the NHS England website to show that 39,348 scans took place between October 2019 and March 2020.
During the six months after coronavirus took hold, April 2020 and September 2020, there were 22,157 scans delivered at the hospital.
That is 17,191 fewer scans.
These numbers include scans delivered at the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate after a referral from the trust. The exact number has not been disclosed.
Coronavirus has had a huge impact on the NHS, with staff working longer hours under difficult conditions.
The district hospital has seen an impact in the number of scans it delivered. Coronavirus meant many appointments were delayed and some patients were left feeling reluctant to go into hospital with health issues.
The hospital said its staff are working hard to re-book appointments.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said:
“We are working hard to reschedule appointments and operations impacted by the pandemic for as soon as possible. However, the pandemic means that for many of our patients there will be a delay, and waiting times will be longer.
“We have arrangements in place to risk assess every patient on our waiting lists to ensure we prioritise people on the basis of their clinical need. These decisions are being made by doctors and other clinical colleagues who are following national clinical guidelines.
“Colleagues both in hospital and in community services have been absolutely fantastic throughout the pandemic and despite the ongoing challenges, continue to be.”
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The data included 12 scans covering all areas of the body including CT, MRI and Cystoscopy scans. Some of those included in the data are used in cancer diagnosis.
Seven of the 12 scans included in this data can be used for cancer amongst other conditions.
Huge drops in cancer referrals have been reported throughout the pandemic. Cancer Research UK found that 40,000 fewer people started cancer treatment last year.
Dr Stuart Griffiths, Director of Research and Services at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said:
“We know that there has been a reduction in urgent referrals for suspected cancer during the pandemic which is slowly getting back to normal. Early diagnosis of cancer is vitally important. It is easier to treat when caught early.
“We encourage anyone with any worrying symptoms to approach their GP.”