‘Time to hand Harrogate Nightingale back to council’

One of the Harrogate district’s most senior politicians has said the time has come to accept the Harrogate Nightingale hospital will never be used for covid and handed back.

Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrats leader in the House of Lords, said the NHS should let Harrogate District Council take back control of the building.

Lord Newby spoke to the Stray Ferret after receiving what he described as “non answers” to a series of questions he submitted to the government about staffing and bed capacity at the Nightingales in Harrogate, Sunderland and Manchester.

He asked how many nurses were required and was told by the Conservative peer Lord Bethell that “each Nightingale team has been developing a clinical model that can be scaled up as and when additional capacity is required in the region”.

Lord Newby said last month he doubted the Harrogate Nightingale had the staff to fully open and has now said:

“The only conclusions which one can draw are that the NHS has no firm plans to staff up the Harrogate Nightingale.

“If it were ever to be used for covid patients, it would obviously have to be staffed by existing staff now working in regional hospitals – all of which are already stretched – and cannot easily release doctors and nurses..

“I do not therefore believe that the facility in Harrogate will ever be used for covid and that the government should now accept this reality and hand the site back to the council.”

‘Flawed concept’

The government has described the Nightingales as “insurance policies”. But with the peak of the second wave of the pandemic believed to have passed, and a vaccine on its way, the chances of them being used have receded.

Lord Newby said the concept of using the Nightingale was “flawed from the start”. He added:

“The government should instead have looked at ways in which it could have freed up facilities in existing NHS facilities to allow for greater intake of covid patients, if this had been required.”

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The Stray Ferret has requested interviews with the NHS about the Harrogate Nightingale, which was set up to treat covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, on numerous occasions but so far has not received one.

A spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement:

“The NHS Nightingale Yorkshire and the Humber is getting ready to care for patients should it be needed and has been operating a clinical imaging service since June to support local trusts in delivering diagnostic and surveillance CT scans, with more than 3,000 patients having now been seen at the clinic.”

Lord Newby replied:

“‘Getting ready’ is very different from ‘being ready’. The fact they’ve got a scanner there is irrelevant. The are plenty of other sites in Yorkshire where they could have put this.”

Yvette Cooper MP: ‘no spare staff for Harrogate Nightingale’

A senior Yorkshire MP has fuelled fears the Harrogate Nightingale hospital does not have the staff to open for covid patients.

Yvette Cooper, Labour MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, told a covid debate in Parliament on Wednesday that Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust currently has over 280 covid patients — 70% more than in April.

Ms Cooper said the trust had to cope with fewer staff than in April, adding:

“It cannot use the Harrogate Nightingale, because there are no spare staff to send there.”

She added she was worried about the pressure on NHS staff and urged Health Secretary Matt Hancock to “work urgently with Yorkshire hospitals to get them more support and more staff in place over the next couple of weeks, when the pressure is likely to be greatest”.

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Mr Hancock responded:

“We are working with hospitals across Yorkshire and across the whole country to try to make sure that we have the most capacity available.

“It is true that the numbers going into hospitals across Yorkshire continue to be far too high, and there is an awful lot of work we need to do, but the most important thing is that we get this virus under control in order to bring that number of admissions down.”

Last month Lord Newby, the Ripon-based Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, expressed similar concerns to Ms Cooper when he said the Harrogate Nightingale “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

No patients so far

The Harrogate Nightingale has not treated a single covid patient so far.

The Stray Ferret asked NHS England whether Ms Cooper’s claim was correct and, with covid rates in the region soaring, whether there were any plans to finally open the hospital.

A spokesperson for NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber, which is the full title of the Harrogate Nightingale, replied:

“The NHS Nightingale Hospital Yorkshire and the Humber is a valuable resource to support the local area and remains on standby, ready to quickly step up based on expert clinical advice, if needed.

“As part of comprehensive activation plans, a model that can be scaled up as and when additional capacity is required in the region has been developed. This ensures that the right skill mix of staff will be available from NHS trusts in the region.”

Harrogate district urged to show support for volunteers and NHS

People in the Harrogate district are being asked to thank the NHS and local volunteers in contrasting ways this weekend.

Harrogate and District Community Action is encouraging people to raise a glass this evening to volunteers who continue to work during the pandemic.

HADCA, which had to cancel its annual Volunteering Oscars awards because of covid, is asking people to raise their glass or mug at 7pm and then post images of themselves saying ‘cheers’ on social media, tagging the Volunteering Oscars on Twitter using #nevermoreneeded.

The Volunteering Oscars celebrates volunteers in the district who help the elderly, children or terminally ill, or whose efforts ensure venues such as museums stay open.

John Fox, chair of HADCA, said:

“We clapped hands for the NHS – why don’t we all lift a glass to say thanks to all the volunteers across the Harrogate district for what they’ve done?”

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Johnathan and his two children

Jonathan Sanderson and his two children practising their howls.

A Harrogate businessman has come up with an altogether different way to celebrate the NHS in a fun way that also appeals to children at Halloween.

Jonathan Sanderson, managing director of IT recruitment company Corecom Consulting, is asking people to Howl for Heroes on their doorsteps at 7pm on Saturday.

Mr Sanderson said:

“My children, along with so many others, are disappointed that the traditional evening of our local community in Harrogate coming together trick or treating will not be able to happen due to covid.

“Howl for Heroes is a socially distanced, fun and noisy alternative to coming together on the evening and recognising the hard work of the NHS who are continuing to support those suffering with the illness.”

Harrogate Nightingale ‘could open with five days notice’

The Harrogate Nightingale hospital will be ready to take patients at five days notice by the end of the week, according to its medical director.

Dr Yvette Oade said it was “hard to predict” when the hospital, which was set-up at a cost of £27m to cater for covid patients in Yorkshire and the Humber, might be needed.

But she said people should be “very concerned” because the infection rate was rising rapidly across the region and hospital admissions were increasing.

The government said last week the Harrogate Nightingale was being put on standby.

Speaking on BBC Look North last night, Dr Oade described the hospital as “an insurance policy” that would be required if hospitals in the region reached maximum capacity. She added:

“You only draw on your insurance policies when things have not worked to plan.

“Right now the hospital isn’t needed, our colleagues are doing a great job around the region.

“People should be very concerned. Infection rates in Yorkshire and the Humber are one of the highest in the country. We’ve seen hospital admissions rising quickly.

“By the end of this week we will be ready to open to patients if given five days notice.

“Right now the hospital isn’t needed. It’s hard for me to predict when this hospital might be needed. The important thing is if we are needed then we will be ready.”

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Last week Lord Newby, the Ripon-based Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords suggested the hospital might not be able to open fully because it “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

Asked about staffing, Dr Oade said the Harrogate Nightingale would need staff from other NHS organisations.

She added:

“If we get to the stage where we need the Nightingale hospitals it’s likely that because our acute trust will be so full that some of those procedures that they are currently doing will need to be halted.”

Art event will raise money for Harrogate hospital charity

Local artist Jos Haigh will sell her work at a preview event to raise money for Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity.

The event, at the Cedar Court Hotel in Harrogate on November 27, will showcase Ms Haigh’s vibrant wildlife art while also generating funds for the charity.

One hundred percent of the sale prices will go to the charity, which funds specialist equipment, training and services at Harrogate District Hospital outside what the NHS provides.

The charity recently funded colouring and art materials for patients at the hospital during the pandemic.

People who attend the preview event will have the opportunity to meet Ms Haigh, who lives in Harrogate and exhibits all over the country, as well as enjoy mince pies and mulled wine.

Christmas gifts and the charity’s newly launched 2021 calendar will also be on sale.

Ms Haigh told the Stray Ferret her works of art had been in a gallery in York for three weeks but lockdown had restricted viewings so she decided to donate them to the charity. She added:

“I chose to donate these paintings after the extremely tough year HDFT has had dealing with a global pandemic as well as the usual challenges that healthcare brings.

“I wanted to say a rainbow thank you to my local NHS trust for all it has done and continues to do.”

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Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager at HHCC, said: 

“We are so grateful for this incredible donation of paintings from Jos. They are beautiful and will brighten up people’s homes, even more so in the knowledge that they are supporting their local NHS.”

The preview evening is free to attend but tickets must but pre-booked. To get one, email hdft.hhcc@nhs.net.

If you can’t make the evening, Ms Haigh’s paintings are available to view and purchase here. 

 

Harrogate Hospital releases charity calendar

To recognise the hard work of NHS staff during the coronavirus pandemic a Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity calendar is being released. 

Now on sale, the calendar is raising money for the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT). 

The calendar showcases the winning entries of a photo competition run by the charity. The selection includes uplifting images of staff at work, as well as photos of the Harrogate district. 

harrogate hospital calendar

The HHCC team with some of the new calendars.

Ben Windass, materials management procurement officer at HDFT, took the winning image on the front of the calendar. He said:

“I named this piece of work ‘Rainbow’ because of the general theme around national support for the NHS and I feel this picture really encapsulates this. Incidentally, these crocheted rainbows were kindly donated to the Trust, which also reinforces the theme of support and positivity towards HDFT, and the NHS as a whole.

“Any money raised by the sale of these calendars would be greatly appreciated. On a personal level, it feels warming that I have been able to contribute towards this project and hope that it will in turn contribute to supporting our fabulous Trust and all the communities we serve.”

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Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager, said: 

“We are so proud to be launching the 2020/21 calendar. The images used to develop it are absolutely amazing and really capture the spirit of the NHS in the north and what it means to be a part of team HDFT.

 “It’s been a tough year for both colleagues and service users at the Trust, and we are really keen to raise as much as we can following the success of last year’s calendar in order to continue improving what the Trust can do for its local communities.”

The calendars are available for a suggested £10 donation, with all proceeds going to HDFT. This is thanks to sponsorship from Living and Home, a homeware store based in Manchester, whose director has strong ties to the trust after his daughter was born at Harrogate District Hospital. 

The Trust will use the funds to provide electronic tablets for patients to video call relatives while in hospital. It will also use them to improve its services, training and facilities. 

Exclusive: Harrogate Nightingale hospital “unable to open safely”

A peer has expressed concerns the Harrogate Nightingale hospital will not open because it “simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely”.

The government said this week the hospital was on standby to receive covid patients.

But Lord Newby, the Liberal Democrat leader in the House of Lords, told the Lords yesterday:

“It is widely believed in Yorkshire that, as far as the Nightingale hospital in Harrogate is concerned, this will not happen because the hospital simply does not have the staff available to allow it to operate safely.”

Lord Newby, who lives in Ripon, asked Baroness Evans of Bowes Park, the Conservative leader of the House of Lords, if she could “assure the House that this is not the case”.

Baroness Evans replied that the hospital was already being used for CT scans — which did not reassure Lord Newby.

Speaking today to the Stray Ferret, he said:

“I raised the issue yesterday because I had heard from several NHS sources that the Nightingale hospital had neither the equipment nor more importantly the staff to open fully.

“I was not at all reassured by Baroness Evans’ response. She said that the Harrogate Nightingale was currently being used for CT scans and implied that it was on standby to open for covid cases.

“She explicitly refused to answer my specific question about whether the hospital had the staffing levels which would allow it to open safely for covid patients.”

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Lord Newby said he doubted NHS England would want to admit there would be real difficulties getting the Harrogate hospital working with covid patients on any scale.

An NHS England spokesperson for the hospital said:

“As part of our comprehensive activation plans we have developed a model that can be scaled up as and when additional critical care beds are required in the region.

“This ensures that the right skill mix of staff will be available from NHS trusts in the region, and via NHS Professionals and through direct recruitment if required.”

Healthcare concerns about Ripon Barracks scheme

The question of how healthcare provision will be expanded and funded to accommodate the proposed 1,300-home Ripon Barracks development has been raised by the city’s MP, Julian Smith.

Mr Smith approached the NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group after a constituent contacted him with concerns about the potential impact of the proposed development on healthcare services.

Besides 1,300 homes, the development also includes plans for shops and businesses, parkland, a new primary school and sports facilities.

A letter of response from Amanda Bloor, accountable officer for NHS NYCCG, has been published on Mr Smith’s website.

It says NYCCG has a process in place for monitoring new developments and accessing funds under the community infrastructure levy introduced by Harrogate Borough Council in July.

The levy is a charge paid by developers to local authorities to support the infrastructure costs of their projects.

Ms Bloor pointed out in her letter that the NYCCG is:

“Aware of the issues raised about access and demand for local medical services in Ripon and is in active discussion with GP practices and Harrogate & District Foundation Trust, which runs Ripon Hospital.”

She added: “We are developing a long-term plan to address improvements to health services in Ripon.”

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Many questions have been raised about the proposed barracks development, which is a partnership project between the public bodies Homes England and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation.

Known as Clotherholme, the scheme includes Claro and Deverell Barracks and Laver Banks.

During consultation, residents have asked about the impact it will have on the city’s infrastructure – from roads to schools.

Ripon City Council has claimed that the transport assessment was “flawed” because it was undertaken during a period when there was less traffic – something Homes England disputes.

The deadline for comments on the scheme is today. You can submit a comment on the Harrogate Borough Council planning website, using reference 20/02973/EIAM.

Harrogate hospital brings back parking charges

Harrogate District Hospital will reintroduce parking charges for staff, patients and visitors from next week.

Parking has been free at the hospital since the first few weeks of the coronavirus lockdown but charges will apply again next Wednesday.

The government has covered the loss of income for trusts.

The hospital said it has been receiving complaints from patients and visitors struggling to find spaces.

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Staff will not be able to park at the top level of the main car park from next week, reverting back to the arrangements before the pandemic.

A spokesperson for Harrogate District Hospital said:

“We know that this will be unwelcome but we trust you understand the reasons why we are reintroducing parking charges. Parking at hospitals will always be a challenge and there is never going to be one solution that everyone is happy with.”

All on-site staff car parks will be available with a permit at the usual monthly rate.

The GMB Union, which has long campaigned for free parking at hospitals, previously said it would be a disgrace to charge hospital staff to park.

Rachel Harrison, GMB national officer, said:

“Our investigation found trusts were charging hard-up NHS staff up to £1,300 a year to park where they work. We persuaded the government to scrap parking charges for all health and social care staff. Now ministers are showing their true colours.”

Eyes to the skies as spitfire flies over Harrogate hospital

A spitfire will fly over Harrogate District Hospital this morning as a special thank you to the NHS.

The plane set off from Duxford Airfield in Cambridgeshire at 10am and is expected to reach Harrogate at around 10.50am.

Harrogate missed out in the spitfire’s last journey in July but today’s flypast is intended to thank hospital staff for their coronavirus efforts.

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Steve Russell, the chief executive at Harrogate NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“For my colleagues who are able to they may wish to pop out to see the NHS spitfire pass over as a mark of thanks to every single member of the team, and all other key workers without whom we could not have played our part.”

The plane has been painted for the occasion with the words “Thank U NHS” under its wings and also bears the names of nominated NHS workers.

The Aircraft Restoration Company, which is behind the project, has raised more than £80,000 for NHS Charities Together, a federation of 250 charities that support the NHS, with flypasts since July.

The blue spitfire PL983 nicknamed ‘L’ was built for photo reconnaissance in the 1940s and has an interesting history. Lettice Curtis, a famous female pilot, once raced the spitfire, which now carries her name alongside those of the NHS workers.