Harrogate District Hospital has received new equipment to improve lung cancer treatments.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the new equipment would allow staff to carry out endobronchial ultrasound scans (EBUS), which are used for diagnosing and staging lung cancer.
Patients currently have to travel to other hospitals for the scans.
The trust added the equipment can also be used to test for infections and chronic inflammatory diseases.
It added the procedure, which takes less than an hour, will improve patient care and waiting times.
Dr Khizer Khan, consultant in respiratory medicine at the trust, said:
“Previously patients would need to be referred to other NHS trusts for the EBUS procedure, leading to patients waiting during the referral process and inconvenient trips for patients between hospitals.
“However, with the ability to perform EBUS scans at Harrogate District Hospital, patients can receive more timely assessment and then treatment based on their current cancer diagnosis.”
A trust spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the equipment cost about £200,000.
The hospital’s lung and cancer service has also introduced a new treatment for lung cancer patients who develop liquid between their lungs and chest cavity.
The trust said the treatment, known as indwelling pleural catheters, means once patients have had the specially-designed drainage tubes fitted they no longer require visits to the hospital to drain the fluid. Instead, nurses can drain the fluid at the patient’s home.
Dr Khan added:
“I have already performed several procedures at Harrogate District Hospital which have been a great success for both the patients and our team.
“The indwelling pleural catheter serves as a bridge between pain and comfort, empowering patients to navigate their days with dignity and grace.”
Pictured are (left to right) Dr Sana Ahmad (respiratory registrar), Dr Khizer Khan (respiratory consultant), Benice Mpholle (endoscopy nurse), Howard Richardson (endoscopy nurse), Michael Wakefield (respiratory sonsultant), Brian Drummond (endoscopy nurse).
Read more:
Harrogate NHS dental patients offered places at clinic 10 miles away
A dental clinic in Boston Spa has announced it will take on NHS patients affected by the reduction in NHS service by Pannal Dental Clinic (PDC).
As the Stray Ferret reported in November, PDC was forced to reduce its NHS contract after being hit with a demand for tens of thousands of pounds from the Integrated Care Board (ICB) that gave it its contract.
Consequently, it is focusing on prioritising children, leaving its adult patients to choose between staying on with a private dental plan or finding a place on an alternative dentist’s NHS list.
Having recently read the Stray Ferret’s story, 210 Dental Clinic on Boston Spa’s High Street – more than 10 miles away – has said it is willing to take on PDC’s patients.
William Hamer, practice manager at 210 Dental Clinic, said:
“Harrogate had a lot of problems recently with practices closing their lists, and NHS patients finding it difficult to be seen.
“Fortunately, we recently had a fourth surgery installed. Our dentist can take care of the more complex procedures, such as dentures, crowns and bridge work, but our dental therapists are fully trained to do examinations, x-rays and even fillings.
“If PDC’s patients are looking to be seen on the NHS, we can offer them that.”
But Tom Gordon, the Liberal Democrats’ parliamentary candidate for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said that people in Pannal “should not be forced to wait five months to be offered an NHS place 10 miles away”. He added:
“It is clear that our NHS dental system is completely broken and it is leading to unacceptable situations such as this.
“With NHS appointments scarce at best and in some places not existing at all, people are being forced to spend hundreds, if not thousands of pounds on private dental care with some even resorting to their own at-home DIY dentistry.”
He was referring to a YouGov survey from March 2023 which found that one in 10 (10%) people had attempted their own dental work. The poll also found that one in five people in the UK (22%) are currently not registered with a dentist, and of these, 37% said this was because they couldn’t find an NHS dentist.
The British Dental Association (BDA) has said that NHS dentistry is facing a “genuine crisis” of access.
But Andrew Jones MP told the Stray Ferret:
“As I understand it, the delay in securing additional NHS places has been due to protracted negotiations with Pannal Dental Clinic who, according to the Integrated Care Board (ICB), are only reducing their NHS contract temporarily. It took the clinic and the ICB some time to confirm that arrangement.
“In a letter to me the ICB have said: ‘This temporary reduction in activity has been implemented due to changes to their workforce meaning they are currently unable to meet the previous activity requirements’.
“I hope that the workforce issues at Pannal Dental Clinic, which the ICB tell me are the problem the clinic has identified to them, are resolved soon so that they can resume their full contract.
“It would appear that there is still funding released by Pannal to be reallocated and I have asked the ICB to do their utmost to keep that funding as local as is possible.”
Mr Jones supported the introduction of the government’s dental recovery plan, which was launched in February. Under the plan, dentists are to be offered a bonus to take on more NHS patients, which ministers say will create more than 2.5 million new appointments over the next year.
Dentists will also be offered ‘golden hello’ cash incentives to work in under-served areas, potentially allowing around 1 million new patients access to NHS dental treatment.
But Mr Gordon said:
“For years there have been hundreds of millions of pounds of underspend on NHS dentistry and the Liberal Democrats have back the BDA’s calls to reform the contracts to get this money spent on fixing people’s dental problems.
“Yet this Conservative Government has done next to nothing to tackle this crisis.
He added:
“It is high time that the NHS dental system was reformed and plans brought forward to end this mess, so no matter where you live you know you can get the NHS dental care you need in an emergency.”
Read more:
- ‘Disgruntled’ patient stages protest outside Ripon dental practice
- Pannal dental practice stops treating adults on NHS
- Chatsworth House dental patients in Harrogate to be offered alternative NHS provision
[the_ad id=”195805″]
Harrogate hospital could face six more months of strikesHarrogate District Hospital could face a further six months of disruption after junior doctors voted to extend their mandate for strike action.
It’s been over a year since junior doctors began striking over pay and this week 98% of British Medical Association union members backed further walkouts on a turnout of 62%.
Most recently, junior doctors at the Lancaster Park Road hospital staged two separate walk-outs between December 20-23 and January 3-9.
The strikes have had a “draining impact”, according to the boss of Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust.
Junior doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training and they make up nearly half of the medical workforce in England.
The BMA says while workload and waiting lists are at record highs, pay has effectively been cut by more than a quarter since 2008.
The union is asking the government for a 35% pay rise, but health ministers have described the demands as unreasonable.
A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said the hospital hopes a deal can be reached before future strikes take place.
They said:
“Whilst we respect the decision made by BMA junior doctors to extend their mandate for industrial action, we hope that the BMA and government can have effective discussions which will lead to a solution before further strikes are undertaken.
“Should further industrial action take place we will continue to manage the disruption to ensure our patients are safe during the strike, any impact on patient care is kept to a minimum and emergency services continue to operate as normal.
“We value our staff and know that junior doctors do not want to be striking. We hope a breakthrough can be made soon so that we can continue to focus on delivering high quality care to all those who need it.”
Read more:
- Trading Hell: ‘Report crime so we can cut crime’, says BID manager
- Reform UK announces Easingwold and Wetherby parliamentary candidate
Harrogate GP surgeries to merge
Two Harrogate GP surgeries are set to merge towards the end of this year.
East Parade Surgery and Park Parade Surgery, which are both located on the same floor of the Mowbray Square Medical Centre on Myrtle Square, announced the move today.
The practices said in a statement the surgeries already “work closely together and share several teams and services” .
It added the partners Emma Keating and Sarah Wilkinson felt a single, larger practice will allow them to “pool the skills of team members to create an organisation equipped to survive and thrive in the NHS of the future”.
The statement said:
“We believe in continuity of care and the people you already know will be part of the new surgery. There will also be the choice for you to see clinicians from across a larger team.”
The statement said the merger, which is being overseen by the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, will take place in early October, adding both sites will “work hard” to ensure a smooth transition for patients.
Patients already registered will be automatically transferred to the new surgery, which does not yet have a name.
The statement said people can contact the medical centre to express their views, as well as to submit ideas for a new surgery name.
Read more:
- LNER to offer free period products on Harrogate trains
- Car parking charges to rise by up to 25% in Harrogate district