nhs Archives - Page 11 of 15 - The Stray Ferret

For sale sign on Ripon’s Spa Baths

The ‘for sale’ sign has been put in place outside Ripon’s Spa Baths.

The move comes despite calls from councillors and Ripon Civic Society for detailed consultation to decide the future of the Grade II listed building.

Sanderson Weatherall, the property agents appointed by Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) is marketing the property under the heading ‘residential’.

But under a separate heading of ‘development proposals’ says:

“The property could potentially be suitable for a variety of alternative uses subject to planning.”

It then adds that HBC’s planning department has provided the following statement:

“Subject to planning permission and listed building consent, the re-development could include low density residential use, community uses and other uses appropriate to town centre locations having regard to the amenity considerations and constraints of the locality.”

Twelve new covid cases confirmed in Harrogate district

A further 12 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the Harrogate district in today’s data from the Office for National Statistics.

It brings the total number of confirmed cases in the district to 7,366 since the pandemic began last year.

Meanwhile, the seven-day infection rate for the district remains at 59.7 cases per 100,000 people, having dropped this week to the lowest it has been since September.

It is above the average for North Yorkshire, which is 47.2. Only Richmondshire has a higher rate, at 63.3, with all other districts in the county having a lower rate.

At Harrogate District Hospital, no further deaths have been reported in patients who tested positive for coronavirus. The total number of people who have died at the hospital since the beginning of the pandemic remains 165.

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed this week it had 42 in-patients who had tested positive for covid, a drop of three from the previous week. It had discharged 20 patients in the same time period, bringing the total number treated and discharged to 554.

The number of vaccinations administered in the district has risen this week to almost 60,000, according to data from the NHS. Across the UK, people aged 56 and above are now being invited to book appointments for the first dose of their vaccines.

Vaccination site to be opened at Ripon racecourse

A vaccination site will be set up at Ripon racecourse, health bosses revealed this morning.

Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS North Yorkshire CCG, told a North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum press briefing the site will open next week.

No further details are available yet.

Jonathan Mullin, marketing manager at Ripon Races, told the Stray Ferret vaccinations would take place on separate days to race days and the course’s fixtures were unaffected by the news.

Ripon Races has 15 fixtures scheduled this year, starting on April 15.

Meetings took place behind closed doors last year and there is still no news on when people may be allowed to attend.

Last week Ripon City Council called for the city to get its own vaccination site and suggested the Hugh Ripley Hall would be a suitable location.

Days later, the Local Resilience Forum confirmed it intended to open a site in Ripon but hadn’t identified a location. Today it confirmed the racecourse had been chosen.

Health bosses also revealed at the meeting that 107,752 vaccinations have been carried out across North Yorkshire and York since the programme started in December.

Harrogate hospital among 10 trusts at full critical care capacity

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is one of 10 NHS trusts in England consistently reporting critical care beds at full capacity, according to the latest figures.

NHS data from December 31 until January 10 shows Harrogate District Hospital’s critical care ward is full.

The hospital’s base critical care capacity is seven beds but this can ‘flex’ to 10 and beyond, trust chief executive Steve Russell told the Stray Ferret in November.

It utilised 11 beds on January 6 and January 9 and although the number has fluctuated it has not dropped below eight this year.

The number of critical care beds in Harrogate is nowhere near as high as it is for many hospitals in larger towns and cities.

Nevertheless, the analysis by the BBC names it as one of 10 trusts out of 140 with consistently full critical care beds.

An NHS spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:

“Critical care services in the NHS are under unprecedented pressure, which is why we’ve increased capacity significantly to continue to provide care.

“Hospitals continue to work to increase their capacity to help patients with covid and other conditions but ultimately it is essential the public continues to follow the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance to prevent the spread of coronavirus, reduce the number of people who need hospital care and ultimately save lives.”

The total number of available critical care beds in England on January 10 was 5,503, with 4,632 occupied.

Harrogate District Hospital reported it had 47 coronavirus patients on January 14.

The increase in coronavirus patients prompted the hospital to announce last week it had decided to postpone some non-emergency surgeries to free up space and staff.

Tim Gold, the chief operating officer at the trust, said:

“Clearly, this past week has seen a very significant increase of people needing inpatient care.

“This is placing a significant strain on services at the trust.

“In response to rising numbers we are increasing the number of beds available for patients with covid on wards and in critical care.

“We will be continuing to provide urgent and cancer care during this time.”

Harrogate hotels ready to offer beds for coronavirus patients

Three major Harrogate hotels are ready to offer up beds to the NHS for coronavirus patients should they asked to help.

The Crowne Plaza, Cedar Court Harrogate and the Majestic Hotel and Spa have all thrown their weight behind the proposals.

Each have hundreds of beds which could be used to ease pressure on the NHS.

The hotel beds could be used for those patients on the recovery path, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed on Sky News.

NHS England’s media team has declined to give more details.

When asked about the potential for hotel beds to be used Mr Hancock said:

“We would only ever do that if it was clinically the right thing for somebody.

“But in some cases, people need step-down care, they don’t actually need to be in a hospital bed.”

Wayne Topley, the managing director of the Cedar Court Hotels Group Yorkshire, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are here to help and in the spirit of kindness we are focused on what our hotels can do to support the now critical effort.

“In Harrogate we are in touch with number of care providers, primarily the hospital itself. We have reached out to offer our support and they know we are here if they need us.”

A spokesman for the Cairn Hotel Group, which owns and operates the Majestic Hotel and Spa, also said:

“We are delighted to be partnering with other industry leaders to offer support and help to the NHS if and when needed.”

A spokesman for the Crowne Plaza, which is connected to Harrogate’s Nightingale Hospital and pictured above lighting up for the NHS, said:

“We already have a good working relationship with the NHS team in Harrogate. We are open to further conversation.”

Harrogate District Hospital confirmed yesterday that it currently has 47 coronavirus patients, up from 28 a week ago.

This surge in patients has forced the hospital to postpone some non-emergency surgeries to free up space and staff to deal with coronavirus patients.

NHS insists Harrogate Nightingale ‘can take patients if required’

The NHS has insisted the Harrogate Nightingale hospital is able to take patients despite concerns it lacks the capacity to do so.

Many people are wondering why the building remains on standby at a time when the new mutant strain of covid has sent infections soaring and put tremendous strain on hospitals.

A record 53,000 people were confirmed to have covid yesterday and hospital admissions have surpassed the peak of the first wave.

The Health Service Journal even reported yesterday there were plans to transfer patients from overloaded London hospitals to Yorkshire.

But the Harrogate Nightingale, which was set up at the town’s convention centre at breakneck speed in spring for covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, has yet to treat a single person with coronavirus. It has been used for CT scans.

Ripon peer Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords, has said the Nightingale “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

Conservative MP John Redwood has called for ministers to explain why they are not using the Nightingales.

The NHS has repeatedly declined to issue more than a brief statement in response to questions from the Stray Ferret about the Nightingale or requests for interviews.

It did so again yesterday when we asked if there were still plans to use the hospital, particularly in light of reports that the London Nightingale was being dismantled.

A spokesperson for the NHS in the north east and Yorkshire said:

“The Nightingale hospitals in the north east and Yorkshire has been running a clinical imaging service since June with more than 3,000 patients receiving a diagnostic test or CT scan, and can take patients if required.”

Looking back: Clap for carers and scrubbing up for key workers

As 2020 draws to a close, the Stray Ferret looks at the news stories that stood out among a year of extraordinary events.

Today, we remember all the ways in which our district’s key workers were shown appreciation, beginning with the weekly Clap for Carers.

As many of us stayed at home to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus, determined key workers continued to put themselves on the front line. Showing their appreciation, people across the Harrogate district took to their doorsteps each week to Clap for Carers – and they didn’t stop there.

The Clap For Carers lasted for 10 weeks and, as well as individual households, saw the hospital and care homes become focal points for the community’s appreciation of key workers.

One of the biggest campaigns to support the NHS in the Harrogate district was started by maths teacher Fran Taylor.

At first planning to sew a couple of sets of scrubs for Harrogate District Hospital, Fran soon found herself coordinating hundreds of volunteers, thousands of metres of fabric – and donations running into thousands of pounds.

Fran Taylor made use of her church hall to cut out thousands of metres of fabric for the volunteers

With a supporting team helping her to organise sending out patterns and fabric, collecting completed scrubs and delivering them to where they were most needed, Fran managed to deliver an astonishing 4,000 sets of scrubs – on top of looking after her two young children and teaching her St John Fisher students remotely.

They were sent to staff across the hospital who would not normally wear scrubs but needed clothing that was easy to wash as soon as they got home from a shift. Requests from other NHS and care providers also came in, and were fulfilled by the dedicated team.

It wasn’t just scrubs that were in demand, however: in April, other vital PPE supplies were hard to access and appeals were put out by the hospital and North Yorkshire County Council.

Straight away, the community stepped up to help. Among them was the technology department at Harrogate Grammar School, which turned its talents to rolling out visors for key workers. Ashville College was also creating visors and scrubs after donating 200 pairs of goggles from its technology cupboards.

Dancing in the street

Meanwhile, local residents showed their support from home with displays of bright rainbows in their windows.

And the community spirit didn’t stop there.

For three months from late March, the country was placed under national lockdown, with residents largely confined to their homes and their movements restricted.

That did not stop people in the Harrogate district from looking out for each other, though – including finding inventive ways to keep up spirits in the face of adversity.

For residents in Harrogate’s Mount Gardens, music was lifting the spirits every week. Derry Jones, best known for playing the piano for diners at Bettys, took his accordion to the pavement as wife Jovita sang, and the neighbours were out and dancing.

Just a few streets away, 22-year-old Lucy Crocker was using her musical talents to give a concert for her neighbours each Friday.

Playing the viola, she took requests for songs as well as performing some classical tunes she already knew. Her efforts were appreciated by the rest of the residents of Mallinson Oval, who enjoyed getting outside to see each other and chat from a distance every week.

Fitness classes were held on Spring Grove, Harrogate

And on Spring Grove, residents came outside daily to take part in Mel Milnes’ exercise classes.

People across the Harrogate district formed groups with their neighbours to ensure nobody went without what they needed. Though keeping them apart physically, the pandemic brought communities together like nothing before.

Doubts about future of 2021 Great Yorkshire Show

The future of next year’s Great Yorkshire Show is uncertain as the Harrogate venue that hosts the event begins a huge mass vaccination project.

The NHS began the programme on Tuesday at the showground. It is expected to last several months, which raises questions about the viability of the 2021 show, which is provisionally scheduled for July 13 to 15.

Heather Parry, managing director at Yorkshire Event Centre, told the Stray Ferret is is “looking at all the options at the moment” for the 2021 event.

Ms Parry said:

“It’s a changing picture. It’s obviously a big event with lots of people so whether we do it the same way or a different way, we are keen to do something if we can.

“We don’t know how many months we’re in this for. We would like to run a Great Yorkshire Show, absolutely, whether it’s the same or different, we don’t know. We are doing lots of planning.”

Ms Parry said none of the contingency plans involved moving the event, which has been held at the Great Yorkshire Showground since 1951, to a different site.

The show was cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus. A virtual event took place instead with three days of video footage.

Ms Parry added that at least 200 other events have been cancelled this year at the Yorkshire Event Centre and the Pavillions of Harrogate venue, which is also on the showground, due to the pandemic.

Harrogate people urged to be patient when booking GPs amid delays

The NHS is urging people in the Harrogate district to be patient when booking GP appointments amid concerns some patients’ anger is boiling over at delays.

Health leaders issued the plea today, saying a combination of exceptional demand and staff being affected by normal winter sickness and covid was causing strain.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Vale of York CCG, which buy health services for the county, acknowledging ‘the wait to speak to a member of a surgery’s reception team in some areas may be a little longer than normal’ and asking people to show ‘patience and kindness’ in the run-up to Christmas.

Dr Charles Parker, NHS North Yorkshire CCG clinical chair, said:

“We recognise how frustrating it can be to be in a call queue but surgery staff are doing their very best in challenging circumstances.

“GP practices have been asked to vaccinate the 50-64 year olds against the flu, to give the covid vaccine, to work in constrained ways to keep patients and staff safe and to do this with higher numbers of staff off work, isolating or ill.

“This is a lot to cope with at the same time. They absolutely do not deserve to be shouted at and abused.”

Dr Parker added people should not ring GP practices asking about the covid vaccine but instead wait for notification. He added:

“This will help keep the phone lines clear and help practices cope with providing prompt care.”

Local pharmacies can also help with minor ailments, such as coughs, colds, sore throats, tummy trouble and aches and pains.

Patients can also get non-emergency medical advice at all hours by using the NHS 111 service online or over the phone.

Harrogate council billing NHS over £100,000 a month for Nightingale

Harrogate Borough Council is continuing to bill the NHS over £100,000 a month for gas, electricity and water at Harrogate’s Nightingale hospital.

Set up at the council-owned Harrogate Convention Centre in April at a cost of £27m, the Nightingale has so far not treated a single covid patient.

The council does not charge the NHS rent for the building. However, figures from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust show the venue, which opened in the early 1980s, incurs significant costs for utilities.

The payments for utilities have been ongoing throughout the year and were previously reported by the Stray Ferret in August.

The most recent published figures are below:

August: £144,583

September: £161,518

October: £124,449.

The NHS’ contract with the council to run the Nightingale is due to end in March 2021.

A council spokesman said:

“Any costs relating to the use of utilities at the convention centre are calculated on standard metered usage. These costs are then passed onto the client throughout the term of the contract.”

The Stray Ferret has requested interviews with the NHS about the Harrogate Nightingale on numerous occasions but so far has not received one.

Last month, Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords, said the time had come to let the council take back control of the building.

The first event listed on the convention centre’s website is the Assemblies of God conference from May 6-8.

Hospitality businesses that rely on trade from the convention centre have suffered this year from its closure.

The Stray Ferret reported earlier this month that the Kimberley Hotel on King’s Road has permanently closed.

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Dancing in the street

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