Today only: Harrogate vaccine centre offers walk-in boosters

Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground is to accept walk-ins this afternoon to help with the roll-out of the covid booster programme.

Those eligible for a booster can just turn-up between 1.30pm and 4pm at the showground. Currently, there are no other walk-in sessions scheduled for the site, which re-opened this week.

To qualify, people need to be aged 40 and above. At least six months must have passed since their second dose and they must have no coronavirus symptoms.

The showground was due to close on December 22 but it now looks set to continue until March, although this has yet to be confirmed.

Non walk-in appointments can be booked on the NHS booking site here.

Patients urged to be kind as abuse prompts GP staff in North Yorkshire to quit

Doctors’ leaders in North Yorkshire have said experienced frontline GP practice staff are being driven out of their jobs because of verbal abuse from patients.

They warned today that surgeries are experiencing a surge in demand for appointments and an aggressive minority is “making the working lives of reception and admin teams a misery”.

They said there had been a wave of resignations among experienced and skilled reception staff from a number of practices in North Yorkshire in recent months because they could no longer put up with the levels of verbal abuse and hostility.

YorLMC – the professional voice for NHS GPs and practice teams across North Yorkshire and City of York, called for the abuse to stop in a statement today.

Dr Brian McGregor, YorLMC’s medical secretary, said:

“Most patients recognise the brilliant job practice reception teams do, but regrettably, there are some who think it’s acceptable to shout, swear, belittle and threaten them and other staff.

“The cumulative impact of these instances of aggression, prejudice, threats and offensive language, is leading to some highly valued members of staff choosing to walk away from a job they’ve loved, while others say they now dread coming into work.

“The NHS is very clear – there is no place for this sort of aggressive behaviour and it has a zero tolerance approach to abuse. If a person is violent, abusive or threatening to their GP or any general practice staff, they could be permanently removed from the surgery.”

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Last week the Leeds Road practice in Harrogate urged patients to be respectful amid rising demand for appointments.

NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group clinical chair, Dr Charles Parker, added:

“We understand it’s a difficult time for patients. Surgery phone lines are busy, a lot of people want appointments and a lot of people have worries about their health they have been putting off, but now want dealing with quickly.

“However, it is not an excuse to shout, swear or threaten the people who are trying their hardest to help. Some of the abuse our practice teams have been receiving is verging on the criminal and has reduced even the most resilient and experienced members of staff to tears.”

Many patients are frustrated at not always being able to see their GP face-to-face.

But today’s statement said practice staff were skilled at finding the person “most appropriate to meet their clinical needs, which may not always be a GP or nurse”.

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.

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