Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Archives - Page 12 of 18

Harrogate hospital to spend £900,000 on A&E streaming service

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust is to spend £900,000 on an emergency department streaming service aimed at reducing waiting times.

Under the plans, Harrogate District Hospital patients will be assessed on arrival at A&E.

If they have a less serious illness or injury will be transferred to another part of the hospital, which will have its own designated clinical practitioners.

Hospital officials said this will allow the emergency department to “focus on patients who require urgent stabilisation, resuscitation and/or further assessment in our hospital”.

As part of the £900,000 spend, new staff will be hired and enhancements made to the existing department.

The trust said the streaming model will be introduced gradually over the next four to six months as training and building work takes place. It aims to have the new system fully operational by winter this year.

A spokesperson for HDFT said:

“The streaming model in the emergency department at Harrogate District Hospital is focused on improving the experience and timeliness of care for patients attending the emergency department.

“It will help us to reduce delays and some of the pressure in the main emergency department, which is a significant area of concern for all trusts.

“Patients arriving at the emergency department will be rapidly assessed and if they have a less serious illness or injury they will be transferred into the new stream which will have its own trained clinical practitioners with injury and minor/moderate illness skills.

“This will allow the main emergency department to focus on patients who require urgent stabilisation, resuscitation and/or further assessment in our hospital.”

Long waiting times

Latest figures show that Harrogate District Hospital had 4,331 attendances to its emergency department in April 2022.

The national standard for emergency department waiting times is to admit, transfer or discharge 95% of patients within four hours.

Harrogate District Hospital

According to NHS England figures, 66% of patients were seen within that timeframe at Harrogate hospital.

In April, West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts, which is a partnership of six hospital trusts including Harrogate, urged patients to only attend emergency departments for life-threatening injury or illnesses.

Dr Andrew Lockey, consultant physician in emergency medicine with Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, which is part of the association, warned that units were “extremely busy” with waits of up to 12 hours.

Officials at Harrogate hospital hope that the new streaming model will help to relieve pressure on the department.

The move comes as other hospital trusts across the UK have introduced similar measures.

In 2018, United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust spent £500,000 on expanding Boston Pilgrim Hospital’s emergency unit in order to introduce a streaming service.

At the time, ULHT said it felt there were too many patients attending the emergency department who could be seen by a general practitioner instead.

No Monkeypox cases treated at Harrogate hospital

Harrogate District Hospital has confirmed that it has not treated any cases of Monkeypox.

The UK Health Security Agency has reported 172 cases of the virus in England so far.

The virus, which originated in Africa, causes a mild infection and is spread through contact with scabs on the skin, bedding and towels used by an infected person.

It can also be transmitted through coughs and sneezes from those who have been infected.

A spokesperson for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust confirmed yesterday it had not treated any patient with the disease.

However, they added that the trust had taken precautions to prevent the spread of Monkeypox within its hospitals.

A spokesperson for the trust said:

“Monkeypox is quite difficult to pass on unless in close contact, and tends to happen through broken skin, although it can happen through a cough or sneeze if you are in close proximity.

“In this respect the same precautions that we introduced during the covid pandemic and that are still relevant for visitors to our hospital today are relevant for monkeypox — anyone visiting the hospital still wears a mask, washes/sanitises their hands frequently, and maintains social distancing where possible together with ensuring good ventilation.”

Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency has not confirmed any cases of the virus within Yorkshire.

The public health body added on its website that the majority of cases confirmed had been found in gay and bisexual men. But it stressed that the disease is not sexually transmitted.

The UKHSA said:

“The risk to the UK population remains low, but we are asking people to be alert to any new rashes or lesions, which would appear like spots, ulcers or blisters, on any part of their body.

“Although this advice applies to everyone, the majority of the cases identified to date have been among men who are gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men, so we are asking these people in particular to be aware of the symptoms, particularly if they have recently had a new sexual partner.”

Praise for Harrogate district nurses on International Nurses Day

The manager for community nurses in the Harrogate district has praised their hard work and resilience during the pandemic.

Holly Southcott said she wanted to thank her team on International Nurses Day, a global celebration of the nursing profession.

She said:

“It’s been a really tough couple of years and it would be nice to see what they do recognised.

“I want to say a big thank you to all of the nurses – both locally and internationally – for their care and compassion every day over the last two years.”

Ms Southcott, who is the clinical locality manager for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT), also wants to promote nursing as a potential career choice.

She said:

“It’s a really important role. It’s a professional role and it can be inspiring.

“The nurses in our trust are really skilled for providing holistic care in the community.

“We want to support future nurses to come forward and train. We will be offering alternative routes where people can progress without going to university.

“It’s such a varied and interesting role and you can get a lot of job satisfaction out of it.”

Ms Southcott said the nursing team pulled together during the pandemic.

She said:

“I went back to visiting people in their homes in the Knaresborough area. It has been a really tough and worrying time for our community.

“The nursing team has worked so hard. The courage they have shown has been amazing and I want this to be recognised.

“They played a crucial part in going into the homes of patients who wouldn’t have been able to access services otherwise.

“Everyone has really worked as one big team.”

International Nurses Day acknowledges and celebrates the commitment and bravery of nurses around the world.

This event, coordinated by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), is celebrated on May 12 every year on the anniversary of the birth of nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale.

Teams wanted for hospital charity ‘It’s a Knockout’ competition

Back in the 1970s, It’s A Knockout was one of the most popular family game shows on TV – it was essentially a sports day for adults.

Now, Harrogate Hospital and Community Charity (HHCC) is inviting friends, families and work colleagues to take part in its version in June.

Teams of 10 entrants will battle it out on an It’s a Knockout inflatable assault course at Harrogate Railway Athletic Football Club on Sunday, June 5.

An ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ challenge of wacky games will see contestants face water and foam in their quest to be crowned champion.

Community spirit

Sammy Lambert, business development, charity and volunteer manager, said:

“HHCC are so excited to be able to host the Summer Extravaganza and bring people together once again.

“We want to bolster community spirit by creating the opportunity for families, friends and colleagues to meet for a day of summer fun while supporting their local NHS at the same time.”

Members of the community have the chance to rise to the challenge or come and support their team.

The event forms part of this year’s Summer Extravaganza, which will raise funds for NHS services at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.

It will include a range of shopping stalls, summer game stands, a bar and barbecue.

Entry to It’s A Knockout Game is £30 per person. Participants must be over 16 and each registration includes entry to the Summer Extravaganza.

Challengers can sign up as an individual or as part of a team. Teams will be entered into one of three groups, with limited availability.

Tickets

Tickets for entry to the Summer Extravaganza are available for a donation of £2 for adults and children over the age of five. Children under the age of five go free.

Inquest concludes no single factor led to Harrogate woman’s suicide

An inquest into the death of a Harrogate woman has concluded that no single factor contributed to her taking her life.

Sarah Tatlow, 57, died at home on March 26 last year. At the time of her death she was undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of cervical cancer.

The two-day inquest in Northallerton, which ended today, heard Ms Tatlow’s husband, Julian Tatlow, question the actions of her doctors in the months leading to her death.

Mr Tatlow said his wife only became fully aware of her “poor prognosis” when a letter was sent days before her death.

The letter was written by Dr Isa Edhem, a consultant urological surgeon at Harrogate District Hospital, to Ms Tatlow’s GP practice. Mr Tatlow described the letter as “cold and insincere” and said it contained details not made clear to them during their consultation with Dr Edhem.

Harrogate District Hospital.

Mr Tatlow questioned members of his wife’s care team during the inquest, asking if they had made it clear to her how aggressive her cancer was. The doctors said they were sure Ms Tatlow knew her cancer was aggressive.

The coroner, Oliver Longstaff, said he took Mr Tatlow’s arguments into consideration but that there was no evidence the letter had a direct link to Ms Tatlow’s death.

Mr Longstaff concluded:

“Since it’s not known when that clinical letter arrived and indeed whether she had seen it, it is inappropriate for me to consider that a direct causal link can be found.

“Even if the letter arrived on March 26 and even if she had taken in the content, is there evidence this letter provoked her suicide over other factors?

“She was facing drastic surgery. I find it unrealistic to single out one factor only and say one was a trigger to this tragedy.”

He concluded the death was due to suicide and there was a clear link to her cancer.

Hospital action plan

Mr Longstaff then read out an action plan written by Dr David Earl, on behalf of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, setting out a number of recommendations the hospital had put into place following Ms Tatlow’s death.

These included a protocol whereby, rather than sending letters to a patient’s GP, they are sent directly to the patient, explaining their prognosis and management plan. This is due to be rolled out across all departments by autumn this year.

It also suggested doctors would be more proactive with referrals to the cancer clinical psychology team if patients are struggling to cope.

Mr Longstaff said the trust’s action plan meant there was no need for him to write to the trust outlining his own recommendations.

Dr Jacqueline Andrews, executive medical director at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said in a statement afterwards:

“We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Sarah Tatlow, and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.”

Harrogate hospital bed occupancy high as winter pressures bite

Hospital bosses in Harrogate have warned that the number of patients requiring treatment for winter infections remain high.

Dr Matt Shepherd, Deputy Chief Operating Officer and consultant in emergency medicine at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust said bed occupancy at the hospital remains high at 90%.

The hospital is currently dealing with patients suffering from winter infections, such as flu and coronavirus. Health officials in Harrogate recently urged people to dial 101 if their illness or injury was not serious.

According to the NHS England figures, the hospital is also treating 25 covid patients.

This comes as the district’s seven-day covid rate stands at 417 per 100,000 people, with a total of 880 covid cases in the last seven days.

Dr Shepherd said historically, pressures tended to ease during the spring. But this was now uncertain due to coronavirus and the lack of national restrictions.

He said:

“Historically, as we approach spring, the pressures have tended to reduce, however, as we are still dealing with the covid-19 pandemic this is not certain.

“Currently bed occupancy at our hospitals remain high at around 90 percent, a similar figure to February.”

Dr Shepherd added that the pandemic was also having an effect on waiting lists. He said:

“The covid-19 pandemic certainly impacted on waiting lists for operations and one of our major priorities has been to cut the backlog.

“The increased number of planned operations that are being performed has meant we have more patients occupying beds following their surgery.”

Dr Shepherd said the hospital also had 40 patients who no longer required care, but cannot be discharged because they do not have a suitable place to return to in order to recover.

Despite the continued pressures from covid, the hospital has since relaxed its visiting restrictions.

However, those visiting the hospital will still be required to wear a mask, sanitise their hands and abide by social distancing.

Dr Shepherd said:

“We are pleased to have recently been able to relax visiting restrictions, but anyone entering our hospitals will still need to wear a mask, ensure they sanitise their hands and maintain social distancing.

“Following these protocols will help us to protect our patients, but also our staff. Reducing the risk of our staff catching covid-19 will help us to maintain appropriate staffing levels so our patients’ care is not disrupted.”

Harrogate hospital staff to join Parkrun to commemorate national lockdown anniversary

Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust staff are set to join runners on the Harrogate Parkrun to commemorate the anniversary of the first national lockdown.

Staff will join volunteers on the Stray on Saturday, March 19, to help set up the course and help participants achieve their personal best.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson implemented the national lockdown on March 23, 2020, in an effort to protect the NHS from being overwhelmed by covid.

William Greenwood, HDFT adult community service manager and volunteer at Parkrun, said:

“Parkrun was founded on a principle of improving mental wellbeing, the physical side of it was almost secondary.

“It is all about starting the weekend on a positive note, meeting new people, taking part in a walk or run and finishing with a slice of cake and a coffee.

“Within the event itself there are lots of micro communities who all support each other.

“It is an event that is open to absolutely everyone. Every week you will likely see people walking or running with their dogs, pushing prams, supporting visually impaired people.

“Some will complete in the run in under 20 mins and others will finish in over an hour, but thanks to the tail walker no one ever finishes last and the volunteers stay to cheer everyone to the end.”

The NHS and Parkrun already have close ties, many members of staff taking part weekly as volunteers or runners and some GP practices prescribing attendance to Parkrun events for its health and social benefits.

Next Saturday, the first 300 runners through the finish line will be gifted a sustainable Harrogate Hospital & Community Charity tote bag full of healthy goodies.

For more information on the Harrogate Parkrun, visit the event website.

Visiting restrictions to be eased at Harrogate and Ripon hospitals

From Tuesday, the rules for people visiting patients in Harrogate and Ripon’s hospitals will be relaxed following a decline in covid infections.

On December 23, Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust tightened visitor restrictions because of the Omicron variant and the subsequent rise in infections. At one point the Harrogate district had the highest covid rate in North Yorkshire.

Visitors were only allowed for patients on end of life care, patients with a learning disability or severe cognitive impairment such as dementia. Parents or carers of children and birthing partners were also permitted.

But from Tuesday, patients can have one visitor, by appointment, between 2-4pm for 30 minutes. Only two visitors will be allowed in each bay at any one time.

Visitors are asked to book appointments by phone from Monday.

Bookings should be made directly with the ward where a patient is staying.

For Harrogate District Hospital call 01423 885959. For Ripon Community Hospital call 01423 542900 between 10am and 4pm and ask to be put through the relevant ward.

Also from Tuesday, outpatients will be allowed to have one person accompany them to a hospital appointment. All visitors will have to wear a mask and sanitise their hands when they arrive.

Jonathan Coulter, acting chief executive at HDFT, said:

“Having reviewed our visitor guidance and the current covid transmission levels in the district we are pleased to welcome back visitors to our hospitals from Tuesday.

“Like so many other hospitals in the country, we did not take the decision to restrict visitors lightly. We understand the positive impact that seeing a familiar, friendly face, such as a family member or friend, can have on a patient’s recuperation, but due to the highly infectious nature of this devastating virus we needed to do all we could to prevent our patients and our staff from contracting the disease.

“We understand that our visitor restrictions have been challenging for some people and we would like to apologise for any distress they have felt, but introducing these restrictions may have prevented someone in our care from catching covid and becoming seriously ill or dying.”

Harrogate hospital currently ‘very full’, say health officials

Harrogate hospital managers warned yesterday that “high numbers of very sick patients” is causing long waiting times.

They added that people with less urgent issues are experiencing long waits.

The news comes weeks after Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust reported that it had reached maximum bed capacity at the start of February due to covid and winter pressures.

In a post on its social media, the trust urged people to call the NHS on 111 unless they had a life-threatening or severe illness or injury.

It said:

“During this week at Harrogate District Hospital we are experiencing high numbers of very sick patients, and due to this the hospital is very full. As a result, patients with less urgent issues may experience longer waiting times than usual.

“This isn’t ideal and we will endeavour to keep waiting times as short as possible. We know that patients can be in pain, stressed or scared, and our dedicated team with do everything they can to help.

“Your health is our utmost priority and all we ask for in return is our staff are treated respectfully and do not have to face verbal or physical abuse as they try to do their job.

“Unless you have a life-threatening or severe illness or injury, we would ask you to contact NHS 111 first.”

Harrogate hospital chief Steve Russell to go on secondment

Steve Russell. chief executive of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, is to take up a secondment as national director for covid and flu vaccinations at NHS England.

Mr Russell will replace Dr Emily Lawson in a role that could last up to a year.

He will leave the trust for the time being on Friday next week.

Steve Russell

Angela Schofield, chairman of the trust, which runs Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, said in a statement today:

“Steve’s new role will take him away from HDFT for at least six months and potentially up to a year.

“I know that, while he is looking forward to this new opportunity, he is eager to return to HDFT.

“We are very fortunate to have a strong executive team and board, which has meant we have the resilience in place that has allowed Steve to take up this opportunity.

“While Steve is away we need experienced leadership to maintain our progress and I am delighted to let you know that Jonathan Coulter, who is currently deputy chief executive and our director of finance, will become acting chief executive, and Jordan McKie, our deputy director of finance, will take up the role of acting director of finance.

Jonathan Coulter

Mr Russell announced the move on Twitter this afternoon.

https://twitter.com/steve_r76/status/1494330025524416518

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