Harrogate businessman set to enter Ukraine in £2m aid convoy

A leading Harrogate businessman is expected to cross the border into Ukraine this weekend as part of a major aid mission.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Healthcare, is a member of a team taking eight wagons containing aid worth about £2 million for Ukrainian soldiers and citizens who intend to stay in the country.

The journey has been organised by Yorkshire Aid Convoy, a charity which has been running overseas aid expeditions for more than 30 years.

Mr Rycroft said he was travelling in a personal capacity because he felt the need to help. He said:

“It’s a really awful situation for everyone involved. I wanted to do something meaningful to help rather than just make a monetary donation.”

The convoy is carrying a variety of items, including medical equipment, beds and hygiene products. It is also taking a mobile classroom, which will be left in Ukraine.

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Those involved will meet Ukrainian military administrators at the border, where they will be escorted to a secure hub about 20km inside the border to deposit the goods. They will then immediately turn round and head home.

Mr Rycroft, whose company owns several specialist dementia care homes around Harrogate, said:

“I’m apprehensive but positive as I know we have the right people on board.

“There’s an element of risk but it’s a short sprint into Ukraine then back out again.”

Back in UK on Wednesday

Two people in each of the eight wagons are taking it in turns to drive up to 10 hours a day across Europe.

The convoy, which set off yesterday, expects to reach Germany tonight and Slovakia tomorrow before arriving at the Ukraine border on Sunday. The team expects to dock in Hull on Wednesday morning.

Mark and Felix Murphy Yorkshire Aid Convoy

Mark and Felix Murphy of Yorkshire Aid Convoy.

Mark Murphy, who founded Yorkshire Aid Convoy, said the mission involved travelling about 2,500 kilometres each way.

He initially ran convoys to Romania but the war in Ukraine has changed the current focus. He said:

“We will meet military administrators and get a police escort to a secure hub.”

 

 

 

 

 

Harrogate care boss: Vaccine mandate led to ‘significant’ staff losses

A Harrogate care home manager has criticised the government’s NHS vaccine review, which was announced this week.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the policy of compulsory vaccines for NHS staff would be paused while a consultation is held on the policy.

But the pause was announced after it became a legal requirement for health and social care staff to be double vaccinated.

James Rycroft, managing director of Vida Health Care, which is based in Harrogate, said the mandate had led to a significant number of staff leaving the care sector.

He said:

“The social care sector has suffered significant losses to our workforce due to the compulsory vaccine policy at a time when we were already experiencing a national staffing crisis.”

Mr Rycroft added that the care sector has had to deal with the fallout of the policy without any support from government.

He said:

“I hope that by allowing staff back to the social care sector, even if they’re unvaccinated, we’ll be able to begin combatting the ongoing recruitment crisis, although the safety of everyone remains our main priority so we would have to ensure precautions are in place.”

Hospital to continue to encourage staff vaccination

Meanwhile, Harrogate hospital officials have said they will continue to encourage staff to get the vaccine despite the review.

Of the 5,000 staff employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, 98% have had at least one dose of a covid vaccine and 97% are double vaccinated.

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Angela Wilkinson, director of workforce and organisational development at the trust, said staff had been encouraged to get a vaccine through a variety of communications including weekly online videos, emails and one-to-one conversations with managers.

Ms Wilkinson said:

“Vaccines save lives and are the most effective way to prevent infectious diseases. 

“Since the development of a vaccine for the covid virus, we have actively encouraged our staff to get their jabs. 

“We have provided staff with a wide variety of information including how they can get their vaccinations and what the benefits are. We have also engaged with staff who have not had the vaccination to support them, allay any fears and dispel any myths.”

She added:

“We await the outcome of the consultation on ending vaccination as a condition of deployment as this will determine whether staff in patient facing roles will need to be legally required to have the vaccination if they wish to work for our trust.

“Nonetheless, we will continue to encourage all of our staff to have the covid-19 vaccination.”

Derelict workshop near Harrogate Asda to be converted to flats

A derelict former workshop opposite Harrogate’s Asda supermarket will be converted into six flats.

Harrogate Borough Council has approved an application this week from TRG Developments to convert the building on Back Dragon Parade, which is visible as you drive into the supermarket from Bower Road.

The flats will provide rental accommodation for care staff working for Vida Healthcare, which the applicant is associated with.

The building was previously used by ironmongers Beardmore Dobson and Sons, which ceased trading in 2017 after 82 years.

In 2015, the council approved an application to demolish several commercial buildings on Back Dragon Parade and convert them into 14 flats.

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‘Care home of the future’ set to open in Harrogate in November

Vida Healthcare is preparing to open its third care home in Harrogate this autumn after construction delays partly caused by coronavirus.

The company has described Vida Court, which will cater for 100 residents living with dementia and employ 200 staff, as ‘the care home of the future’.

The home, near RHS Harlow Carr, will include a cinema, convenience store, hair salon, florist and coffee shop to provide residents with a little normality.

It was originally due to be completed in spring but the date has been pushed back to November 1.

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Interior design company Nanu Soda was hired to design the building, which includes sensory TV windows, walls and artwork that provide residents with opportunities to interact with different environments.

A computer generated image of one of the dining areas at Vida Court.

Learning from coronavirus, Vida has designed each bedroom with a large glass window.

Each bedroom has a large glass window and every house within the home has a garden room to help ventilation

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“We hope that Vida Court, which integrates the most cutting edge facilities and technology, will end the perception of care homes as a last resort.”

Harrogate pupils tackle loneliness with letters to care homes

Pupils from a Harrogate infant and junior school have written letters to people in care homes to help combat loneliness.

Saltergate Schools partnered with Vida Healthcare to send the letters to care workers and residents in its two Harrogate homes.

Its initiative was a part of Loneliness Awareness Week, which began on Monday and aims to tackle the stigma around loneliness by getting people to talk about their feelings.

The care homes, Vida Grange in Pannal and Vida Hall in Starbeck, were also decorated with butterflies crafted by the students.

James Rycroft, managing director at Vida Healthcare, which specialises in caring for those with dementia, said:

“We are so pleased to have had the support this year from Saltergate Schools to make our staff and residents feel extra special. The butterflies look fantastic and our residents and staff have all been really touched by the handwritten letters.”

Studies have shown that people in care homes are twice as likely to feel lonely as those in the wider community.

Linda Mortimer, headteacher at Saltergate Schools, said:

“Loneliness Awareness Week was the perfect opportunity for us to give back to our local community and educate our children about loneliness.”

“Accepting that we all feel lonely sometimes is an important lesson and learning what we can do to help others and ourselves manage feelings of loneliness is critical.”

The Marmalade Trust hosts the annual Loneliness Awareness Week, which more than 20,000 charities got involved with last year.

Visit its website for information and support.

Harrogate care homes install visiting pods

Care homes in the Harrogate district have installed visiting pods so residents can meet relatives safely.

Vida Healthcare has opened three ‘together again’ pods to enable visits to continue over winter. One is at Vida Hall in Starbeck and two are at Vida Grange in Pannal.

Current guidance allows for one designated visitor per pod. But if one relative cannot attend another person can visit instead using the pod.

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The pod enables Anne Thompson to see her husband, who has been at Vida Hall since 2015. She said:

“The staff at Vida have been wonderful in allowing us to keep up with the daily lives of our loved ones, however it’s been stressful not being able to visit in person.

“Seeing our loved ones is really important to us and it’s comforting to know that you’ve set up these pods to give us safe opportunities to come and visit.”

One of the pods at Vida Grange.

Bernadette Mossman, the healthcare director at Vida Healthcare, said:

“Visiting relatives in care homes is a fundamental need for families and residents. The pandemic has reduced our ability to be able to facilitate this much needed interaction.

“Our brand new ‘together again’ visiting pods are one example of innovations we’re implementing to ensure our residents can safely connect with their loved ones.”

Guidance on care home visits

Care home visits will continue in North Yorkshire despite the country entering a second national lockdown.

The county council restricted visits during October but advised homes they could relax the rules in November to allow one designated visitor for each resident.

Officials have said the measure will continue through lockdown, but homes that report an outbreak will have to restrict visits.

Harrogate care home adopts door tech to save lives

A care home in Harrogate has adopted new technology in the fight to save lives from coronavirus this winter.

Vida Grange, which is a specialist dementia home in Pannal, has installed alcohol gel-secreting door pads to limit the spread of coronavirus among staff and residents.

The pads are designed to kill germs on doors, which can help to protect people from coronavirus. They could be particularly useful in care homes, where many residents struggle to remember the importance of hand hygiene.

Yorkshire company Surfaceskins, which created the pads last year, has seen a global spike in interest in the pads. But this is the first home in the Harrogate district to introduce them.

Adam Walker, Surfaceskins inventor, with James Rycroft, the managing director of Vida Healthcare, at Vida Grange in Pannal today. They are seen holding the pads.

At an event today at Vida Grange to mark the deal, James Rycroft, the managing director of Vida Healthcare, which owns Vida Grange, described the pads as a “welcome addition to our armoury”, He added:

“Sometimes people forget to use the alcohol gel but you can’t escape the Surfaceskins.

“The coronavirus pandemic took the world by surprise so we are trying to do all we can to protect our residents and staff.”

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Mr Rycroft said new technologies and strict procedures were helping to protect residents.

Some staff at the care home have tested positive for coronavirus in recent weeks but, so far, none have passed the virus on.

Adam Walker, one of the inventors of Surfaceskins and a Harrogate resident, said:

“This product does not clean your hands but it is designed to keep itself sterile. We still need people to use gel dispensers and wash their hands. However, if you do that and use a dirty door you could still infect yourself. The Surfaceskin helps clean hands stay clean. It is a vital missing link.”

Mr Walker added the product was not a knee-jerk reaction to coronavirus. He said he came up with the idea about 10 years ago.

Care home residents see health benefits of stretching classes

Residents in two specialist dementia care homes in Harrogate have seen improvements in their health and wellbeing thanks to a new programme of stretching classes.

The initiative was launched by Vida Healthcare in its two Harrogate homes, Vida Hall and Vida Grange, and has proven successful since it began in June.

Research shows that staying active and incorporating movement into daily routines can significantly improve the wellbeing of people living with dementia. Charlotte Gibbs, wellbeing lead at Vida Hall, has seen the positive impact the classes have had on those involved. She said:

“Residents are keen to take part and they remember the time of the stretching classes and are able to memorise and maintain basic stretching routines. This is a significant milestone for many of our residents, especially those living in the later stages of dementia.”

headshot of Emma

Emma is currently a tutor in acting and movement at the Drama Studio London.

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One resident who broke their shoulder three years ago has also increased their range of movement since taking part in the classes.

The classes are taught virtually by ex-West End star Emma Flett, who has appeared in shows including West Side Story and Goodnight Mr Tom. She said:

“Residents really enjoy the sessions and I can see improvements each week. This time gives both staff and residents the opportunity to do something different and strengthen their bond, which has been especially important during lockdown when loved ones haven’t been able to visit.”