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19
Oct 2023
York hospital defends sending ambulances to Harrogate
York Hospital has defended sending around 1,500 ambulances to Harrogate District Hospital over the last 18 months.
When York’s emergency department is under pressure, the hospital asks for support from surrounding hospitals with capacity, often at short notice.
Harrogate has stepped in to ease pressure on the hospital in York but Jonathan Coulter, chief executive at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, told a board meeting last month that the current system of accepting ambulances from York on an ad-hoc basis could risk patient safety.
He also said that staff have “normalised” a way of working that’s “very unusual”.
In response, a spokesperson for York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs York Hospital, said “operational pressures are being felt across the NHS and our hospitals are no exception”.
They added:
At the meeting last month, Mr Coulter said the two NHS trusts were working together to try and find a solution that benefits both parties.
He added:
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