Many care homes in Harrogate have yet to recommence visits despite new government guidance.

The government issued new guidance after lockdown saying ‘care home managers are best placed to decide how visits should happen in their own setting in a way that meets the needs of their residents both individually and collectively’.

It also said it was issuing rapid covid tests to registered care homes during December for visitors to use. Each home should have enough to test up to two visitors per resident, twice a week by Christmas.

But right now many people are still unable to visit loved ones in the run-up to Christmas.

Judy Bass, from Harrogate, has only seen her father twice since March and one of those visits took place behind a window. Her father’s home is still not allowing indoor visits.

Ms Bass hoped the rapid test kits would allow her to visit but her father’s home has still not updated its guidance on visits.

She said:

“It is hard because I have no hope I will see him before Christmas and my dad loves this time of year. All the care home offers is window visits but I don’t want to be doing that because he will get upset.”

Judy said the care home probably found it “easier to say no” rather than go through the additional strain of testing, which would require visitors having to wait 30 minutes for results.

Read more:

• Planning is in place to demolish a care home on Wetherby Rd to replace it with a larger facility. 
• Local health bosses say they are ready to roll out the covid vaccine across the Harrogate district. 

Elsewhere in Harrogate, other care homes are planning to allow visits.

MHA a charity that runs 83 care homes in England, including Berwick Grange in Harrogate, has said it will allow visits under the new guidelines. But it has yet to receive the testing kits from government.

Allowing up to two visitors, per resident, to be tested twice a week, would significantly increase staff workload.

MHA chief executive, Sam Monaghan, said:

“It is a great step forward that the government has listened to residents and their families kept apart during the pandemic and is making tests available. But to do so without providing the resources necessary is reckless.

“To carry out the volume of tests now required in care homes, we will need at least one more administrative staff member per home. We are talking about a considerable additional workload. The effect will be that frontline staff will be even further stretched.”

Do you have a loved one living in a care home? Are you happy to talk about how the pandemic has impacted your visits? Please get in touch with us via contact@thestrayferret.co.uk

Coronavirus test results in North Yorkshire are taking “far too long”, according to a shadow minister.

Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central and shadow minister for digital, culture, media and sport, told the House of Commons yesterday only 16% of test results in North Yorkshire were being returned after 24 hours.

She added 60 per cent were returned in 48 hours and 96% after 72 hours, quoting figures from North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which is a partnership of organisations that tackles emergencies in the county.

Ms Maskell told MPs during the covid debate:

“That is too long to wait to lock down the virus.

“If we could process those tests locally—test locally and process locally—we could have the results overnight.”

Read more:

• Lockdown ‘at worst possible time for retail’ says Harrogate bookshop
• Andrew Jones MP criticised for lockdown U-turn

Ms Maskell said a localised system of public health, rather than the current service provided by Serco under contract from the Department of Health and Social Care, would provide a quicker and more effective response. She said:

“A quick response is key to getting on top of the virus—testing quickly, contact tracing quickly and isolating the virus quickly.”

‘We recognise there is more to be done’

The Stray Ferret asked the DHSC to respond to Ms Maskell.

It referred us to comments last week from Baroness Dido Harding, interim executive chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, which acknowledged turnaround times could be better.

Baroness Harding said:

“As the number of cases rise, we are seeing NHS test and trace processing more tests and reaching more people than ever before.

“We are expanding the reach of our service and improving performance in key areas such as turnaround times for tests as we continue to increase capacity, but we recognise there is more to be done.”

A permanent coronavirus testing centre was set up in the Harrogate District last month.

The Dragon Road site, which is managed by Serco, is capable of carrying out up to 320 tests per day and operates seven days a week.

A Serco spokesperson said:

“Serco does manage the test site but we do not manage the processing of the tests and the results, or the laboratories. That is all managed by others.”

A mobile coronavirus testing site has been set up in the car park at the Hydro in Harrogate.

The Jenny Field Drive drive-through site will offer testing to key workers by appointment only and is one of four being run by the military in North Yorkshire.

A mobile coronavirus testing centre has opened at the Hydro, Harrogate

Permanent sites have been set up at Poppleton park and ride near York and at Temple Green in Leeds. North Yorkshire County Council said the mobile testing unit was for “key worker and priority testing”.

Signs ask visitors to keep their windows closed

On arrival, people are being asked to keep their car windows closed except when prompted to do otherwise. Following guided lanes, they pull up to be passed a swab test which they then drop into a box to be sent away for testing.

Military personnel are running the mobile testing site

The new site at the Hydro is the latest option made available to key workers after the government promised to ramp up testing drastically. As well as ordering home testing kits, people can go online to book an appointment at one of the permanent sites or mobile testing units.

Vehicles are guided through the mobile testing site

Used swabs are deposited in a box to be sent off for testing

Last week, care homes told The Stray Ferret that there was a mixed picture with testing availability. Some had been able to access home tests and appointments, while one was quoted a three-week wait for an appointment in Leeds.

Coronarivus testing for care home residents and staff has been patchy across the Harrogate district, as the government promises to make 25,000 home testing kits available every day.

Some care homes are reporting they have received the kits they had requested, while others are still waiting for a delivery so they can confirm whether residents have the virus.

For key workers, drive-through testing sites have been opened, but can only be accessed by arranging an appointment. In one case, a care home worker was told there would be a three-week wait, despite NHS advice being to test within five days.

Guidance on the NHS website shows tests should be carried out within five days

The member of staff from Emmaus House on Harrogate’s Valley Drive had shown symptoms of coronavirus, but after trying to get a test at Temple Green, just off the M1 to the east of Leeds, was told the next appointment was in mid-May. Another member of staff who doesn’t drive has been unable to access testing so far – but a third member of staff who showed symptoms earlier had been able to arrange a test.

Without confirmation of whether they have coronvarivus, those two staff members now have to self-isolate. Meanwhile, testing kits for residents have not yet arrived at the home. A team leader at Emmaus House, who asked us not to use her name, said:

“It’s quite frustrating. We’re losing staff for longer than necessary. They should make sure everything is in place before they talk about it on the news.”

A new testing site has been set up at Poppleton park and ride

The government this week promised to roll out testing across much more of the population, making 25,000 testing kits available every day and allowing key workers with symptoms to book appointments at drive-through test centres, including one created for the Harrogate district at Poppleton park and ride.

Statistics released today show that 26 care homes in the Harrogate district have reported suspected coronavirus cases and there had been 19 deaths in care homes thought to be related to the virus.

Testing kits arrive

Although some homes, including Emmaus House, have struggled to get deliveries of testing kits, others have received them this week. At Vida Grange in Pannal, staff have been able to access testing facilities, while tests have been received by the home in order to test residents with symptoms. James Rycroft, Managing Director of Vida Healthcare, said: 

“So far, five residents and numerous staff members have been tested. Of these, two residents and four members of staff have shown positive results for the virus. As we hear more on test results we will update the families of our residents in our newsletter.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely and it’s encouraging to hear the Government’s plans for a massive expansion in testing. The testing of residents and staff without symptoms could prove crucial in tackling the spread of the virus in care homes.”

At Belmont House in Harrogate, the tests are now beginning to arrive for residents and all staff will be screened. Similarly, Ripon’s Skell Lodge has received testing kits and has had negative results back for two of its residents, leading to cheering among them and the staff when the results arrived.