Unfortunately, due to a technical issue, we are unable to publish and officially launch our Annual Report and Accounts in time for the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Annual Members Meeting.
To enable us to give this event the recognition it deserves, we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the meeting, which was due to be held next week (Tuesday 19 September) for a short period of time. A revised date for the meeting will be published in due course.
We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust has launched a new camera-controlled, ticketless car parking management system in all visitor car parks at Harrogate District Hospital.
Barriers in the main hospital car park have been removed and cameras will identify cars on entry and exit using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR). Visitors are able to pay for the car parking when they leave by entering their car’s registration into the parking validation machines in the front entrance of the hospital – making the process of paying for parking easier with either cash or card, or via the Evology Parking app.
Terminals are available across the hospital and at the main reception for visitors who are eligible for the concessionary or free parking that the Trust currently offers, for example for blue badge holders, patients receiving cancer treatment, or parents visiting the paediatric ward or Special Care Baby Unit.
The new barrier less system will provide a better experience for patients and visitors by improving the flow into and out of Harrogate District Hospital’s car parks and reducing the queues on Lancaster Park Road, as well as improving road safety and ambulance access.
Parking for the general public will be free for the first twenty minutes, then will cost £4 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours, £8.50 for up to six hours and £11 for up to 24 hours. The funds gathered from parking fees allow the Trust to reinvest back into the delivery of patient care and maintaining facilities such as car parks across HDFT.
Visitors using the Evology Parking app will need to pay for their parking by midnight on the day they parked a Harrogate District Hospital or a parking charge notice (PCN) will be issued.
Visitors who are not using the Evology Parking app will need to remember to pay for their parking at the end of their visit by using the parking validation/payment machine at the main entrance to the hospital or a parking charge notice (PCN) will be issued.
To manage the new systems and ensure fair and accurate parking across the site, Parkingeye, the market leading operator of ANPR car park management systems, has been brought in to help maintain the rules in place on the car parks and provide ongoing support.
Parkingeye has almost 20 years of experience working on NHS sites and helping car parks to work more effectively, from cutting down abuse and misuse to ensure there’s more space available during visiting hours, to protecting staff parking across complex NHS Trusts.
Part of their ongoing support includes a specially trained appeals team to help deal with motorists that may have received a parking ticket and wish to appeal their charge. Parkingeye retains a high level of compliance for appeals and their services are fully compliant with all British Parking Association guidelines.
The ANPR system will be expanded into HDFT’s staff car parks in October, where staff will be charged a monthly fee to use the car parking facilities calculated on their vehicle’s emissions, their pay band and their contracted hours.
Andy Colwell, Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities at Harrogate Integrated Facilities, a subsidiary company owned by HDFT and who are responsible for car parking at the hospital, said “We are always looking to innovate and use the latest technology to improve the facilities we offer our patients and visitors, whether that is delivering care or ensuring ease of access for all of our service users.
“By introducing a new barrier less system, we will be able to improve the flow of cars into our car park at busy times, such as visiting hours and reduce the chance of queues of cars forming on Lancaster Park Road.
“The system will help to reduce noise and environmental pollution from cars idling outside the hospital or from the alert noise on the barriers of our current system which could affect local residents. The fully digital service also removes the paper waste which is produced by the current ticketing system.
“For those people who do not want to drive, our hospital is also well serviced with public transport links, so using a bus to visit our hospital is an option too.”
The Evology Parking app can be downloaded via https://www.evologyparking.co.uk/app/, Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Further information on car parking at Harrogate District Hospital can be found at https://www.hdft.nhs.uk/hospitals/harrogate-district-hospital/car-parking/
Parents, grandparents, carers and young people in the Wakefield district are being encouraged to download the new Growing Healthy 0-19 Service App, designed to support the health development and wellbeing of children, young people and their families.
The Growing Healthy 0-19 Service App has been developed by the Growing Healthy Wakefield 0-19 Children’s Service, in collaboration with Wakefield Families Together, and is specifically tailored to the local area to ensure the healthcare information provided is relevant to people who live in the district.
The Growing Healthy Wakefield 0-19 Children’s Service provides health visiting and school nursing support – working with children, young people and their families to ensure that children have the best start in life and are able to fulfil their potential.
The service, which comprises varied public health practitioner’s working across the 0-19 service, is provided by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT), the largest provider of 0-19 health services in England, looking after over 500,000 children across nine local authorities.
The app provides information including videos on a wide range of topics such as antenatal care; infant feeding, diet and nutrition, child development; perinatal, infant and child emotional health; children with special educational needs; and making sure your child is ready for school.
Mums, dads and partners can access a wide range of accessible self-help guidance and support, whilst children and young people can take advantage of the activity tracker and health promotion resources included on the app.
The app also provides information on accessing the service, including family and youth hubs, local support groups and activities available across the Wakefield district. The app is interactive so that users can provide feedback on their experience of the Growing Healthy Wakefield 0-19 Children’s Service.
Claire Abell, General Manager at Wakefield 0-19 Children’s Service said: “We are delighted to launch our new Growing Healthy 0-19 Service App, which will be a real benefit for parents and their families.
“The app, which is free to download, was created so that parents, carers and young people could easily access reliable, trusted information about health and wellbeing whenever they need it.
“The app will be used by our Growing Healthy Wakefield 0-19 Children Service to help send information across communities to keep families happy, healthy and safe.
“The app will continue to be updated and developed in the future and we look forward to receiving feedback from users so that we can further improve the content and the launch of additional functions, including a virtual chat function.”
Cllr Margaret Isherwood, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “We are delighted to be working with Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust and our partners to deliver this product. The app will provide our residents with a whole wealth of support at their fingertips. The health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families is our primary concern and this new app will help us to further improve on the high level of service that we provide in Wakefield district.”
The app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play by searching for ‘Children’s Health Service-HDFT’.
You will be contacted if your appointment needs to be changed. Please continue to come forward for the care you need.
Consultants who are part of the British Medical Association (BMA) will be undertaking 48 hours of industrial action from 7am on Thursday 20 July to 7am on Saturday 22 July. The action will affect some services provided by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT).
Consultants are senior doctors who not only see patients but are responsible for supervising junior doctors and other staff. Without supervision it may not be possible for some care delivered by junior doctors or other staff to take place, however we are working hard to provide appointments and/or treatment for our patients as planned.
We understand this may cause our patients and their families to worry about how services will be delivered during this period. The safety of our patients is our primary concern and we have developed plans for the proposed action and its impact on our services, patients and staff. We are working hard to prioritise resources to protect emergency treatment, critical care, neonatal care, maternity, and trauma, and ensure we prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery.
This instance of industrial action is likely to impact on clinics and theatre sessions at the Trust, with some appointments and elective surgery needing to be cancelled.
Patients should continue to attend appointments as planned unless contacted to reschedule. We will only reschedule appointments and procedures where necessary and any postponed appointments will be re-arranged as a priority. We appreciate this situation is frustrating for patients affected and apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Regardless of any strike action taking place, it is important to know that people with life-threatening or severe illnesses or injuries should continue to dial 999 and come forward as normal.
For people who require medical assistance and are considering visiting our Emergency Department, unless it’s a life-threatening or a severe illness or injury, we would ask that they contact NHS 111 first either by calling or going online https://111.nhs.uk/. The NHS will help them right away and if they need urgent care, the NHS can book them in to be seen quickly and safely.
If you attend our Emergency Department when your condition is not serious or life-threatening, you may be asked to go elsewhere to seek support or you may have a very long wait for treatment. For more information on when to go to A&E, please visit the NHS UK website.
Thank you for your understanding.
5 July 2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service (NHS).
Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all of our lives.
When it was founded in 1948, the NHS was the first universal health system to be available to all, free at the point of delivery.
Today, nine in 10 of people agree that healthcare should be free of charge, more than four in five that care should be available to everyone, and that the NHS makes them most proud to be British.
This is because, since 1948, the NHS has always evolved and adapted to meet the needs of each successive generation.
From Britain’s first heart transplant in 1958, to Europe’s first liver transplant in 1968.
From the world’s first CT scan on a patient in 1971, revolutionising the way doctors examine the body, to the world’s first test-tube baby born in 1978.
Large-scale vaccination programmes protected children from whooping cough, measles and tuberculosis, and in 1999 the meningitis C vaccine was offered nationally in a world first.
The NHS has delivered huge medical advances, including the world’s first liver, heart and lung transplant in 1987, pioneering new treatments, such as bionic eyes and, in more recent times, the world’s first rapid whole genome sequencing service for seriously ill babies and children.
During the pandemic, having a single national health service enabled research to be carried out at an unprecedented scale and find the world’s first effective treatment for Covid-19, dexamethasone, making it available across every hospital the same day it was approved.
Having a single national health service enabled the delivery of the first accredited Covid-19 vaccine in the world, but to rollout the NHS vaccine programme with a combination of speed and precision unseen elsewhere.
The NHS is now a leader in adopting innovative medicines, with industry data showing there are five treatments available in England for every four in Europe, as well as almost a third more cancer drugs. Purchasing power means this can be done at a price that benefits taxpayers as well as patients.
In 2022 alone, in robotics systems have helped to treat patients with prostate cancer and get them back to their homes in less than 24 hours after surgery. We saw the first new treatment for sickle cell disease in over two decades, and the 100th cancer drug was fast tracked to patients through the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund.
Integrated care systems were also established across England, bringing health and care organisations together to address health inequalities and plan services to better meet the needs of our number one priority – our patients. These local health and care services are designing new proactive models of care, improving health and wellbeing today and for future generations.
The NHS is very proud of how its staff worked tirelessly to respond to the pandemic and care for thousands of patients. But the virus is still with us, and dealing with its after-effects will take us, and other health systems across the world, several years to fully recover.
The NHS are putting plans in place to help us to fulfil our ambitions, and to deliver better health and services for every community.
Having an NHS today is helping with the most ambitious catch-up programme in health service history. Last summer, hospitals across England worked together to ensure that the longest waits for elective care were virtually eliminated, and eighteen-month waits fell from a high of almost 125,000 to under 33,000 by February 2023.
Major recovery plans – one on elective care and a second on urgent and emergency care – have set out how we will stabilise and recover these NHS services and create a solid platform to deliver our long-term ambitions. A plan to improve GP access and a workforce strategy are set to follow, creating clear and much needed direction.
Latest data shows that the population of England has grown by almost 3.5 million in the past decade, and as a nation we are living longer than ever before. We are seeing more people in older age groups, with almost one in five of the population aged 65 and over, and that number is expected to grow in the years ahead. It is also the most diverse our nation has ever been, with 1 in 6 people in England from minority ethnic backgrounds.
As we look ahead, embracing innovation is critical in enabling the NHS model to deliver better outcomes for our growing population. That means using IT and data more effectively; integrating health and social care; getting better at preventing illness, not just treating it; and speeding up the introduction of 21st century genomics-based medicine.
Innovating for future generations also means developing new services, such as our NHS National Centre for Gaming Disorders, the UK’s only clinic to support people with gaming disorders, and specialist addiction services for those suffering from gambling disorders, with seven clinics live across the country. England has also become the first country in the world to launch clinical training in perinatal mental health using extended reality (XR) technology.
More than 100,000 patients have been treated in NHS virtual wards in the last year for conditions such as frailty and acute respiratory infection, freeing up capacity in our hospitals and allowing patients to get care at home. That’s around the same number of patients who had a hip replacement last year in England.
None of this innovation would be possible without the skill and expertise of NHS staff, volunteers and our partners in the social care sector. From the midwives who help bring us into the world, the GPs and pharmacists who are our first port of call when we are sick, the nurses, doctors and other clinicians who care for us in our time of need, the porters and cleaners who keep our hospitals moving, and the hundreds of thousands of dedicated staff and volunteers in between – our people are the driving force in helping us do this.
From the day it launched, the NHS has relied on staff from across the world – from the Windrush Generation of 1948 to today’s workforce, represented by over 200 nationalities.
As we mark 75 years of the NHS, we are looking back on our achievements, as well as looking ahead to the opportunities we have to shape the next 75. Our task is to plot and deliver a future in which we preserve the key principles on which the service is founded; tackle the challenges ahead and embrace future opportunities.
We have to confront the underlying issues behind growing demand, alongside workforce constraints, social care provision, and our changing health needs as a nation.
Everywhere you look, innovation is helping the NHS rise to these challenges, easing pressures and providing ground-breaking diagnosis and treatments.
The NHS is committed to transforming services, delivering for patients and better understanding the local populations we serve. We know we have much to do, but through modernising our outpatient services, rolling out new proactive and preventative models of care, and creating a sustainable system for the future, we will ensure the NHS continues to be the healthcare envy of the world.
Today the NHS has published the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan – a plan developed by the NHS, backed by investment from government and created in collaboration with NHS staff and experts.
This will deliver the biggest increase in training numbers in our 75-year history with record numbers of nurses, doctors, dentists, Allied Health Professionals and other key healthcare staff to address the gaps in the current workforce and meet the challenge of a growing and ageing population.
Since the founding of the NHS 75 years ago, we have relied on the skill and dedication of staff who came here from around the world, and there will always be a place for them in the NHS. But as global demand for healthcare workers grows, we need to train more people here to future proof the NHS.
Increasing recruitment is not enough on its own so we are also setting out how we will retain more staff and use tech to free up them up to do what they do best: care for patients.
Our staff have told us that they want opportunities to progress and learn throughout their working life, so this plan also looks at how to deliver on the commitments in the NHS People Promise, ensuring we can attract and retain talent and support our teams.
Things will not change overnight but this NHS workforce plan represents a once in a generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing.
Read the full plan at https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/nhs-long-term-workforce-plan.pdf
Interested in joining the NHS? Then why not take part in our NHS Health Careers quiz. There are more than 350 different careers in the NHS. Many work with patients while others work behind the scenes. What they all have in common is that they make a difference to people’s lives. To find the NHS careers that best suit you, all you need to do is answer some simple questions.
Nominations for Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust’s (HDFT) governor elections have opened, providing the opportunity for members of the public to help shape the future of NHS services run by the Trust.
The Trust are seeking nominations from members of the public who are interested in representing three constituencies in Harrogate & Surrounding Villages; Wetherby & Harewood, Alwoodley, Adel & Wharfedale, and Otley and Yeadon; and Ripon & West District.
Currently, the Council of Governors comprises 26 governors, consisting of 14 public members, six staff classes, and six partner/stakeholder organisations, such as North Yorkshire Council.
Governors provide a vital link between the public, staff and partner organisations, representing the views and interests of local people and making sure they are considered by HDFT’s Board of Directors.
To be eligible to stand in the elections, nominees need to be over 16, reside in the constituency they wish to represent and be a member of the Trust. It is free to join and an application form is available on the Trust’s website at https://www.hdft.nhs.uk/about/membership/, from the Foundation Trust Office on 01423 554432 or by emailing [email protected]
HDFT provides acute and community service for Harrogate and North Yorkshire from Harrogate District Hospital and Ripon Community Hospital, and through its Community Services Team. The Trust also operates Children’s Public Health (0-19) Services for nine local authorities in the North East and Yorkshire, and is the largest provider of 0-19 services in England, looking after over 500,000 children.
Sarah Armstrong Chair of HDFT said: “Our governors play an essential role, providing a bridge between our members, our community and our Board. They help shape our Trust’s future direction and the services we provide.
“Governors serve a term of three years and have key responsibilities including liaising with the Board of Directors and collectively holding them to account for the performance of the Trust. They are involved in the appointment of the Non-Executive Directors on the Board of Directors, and helping us to develop our membership.
“They are also responsible for regularly feeding back information about our Trust, its vision and its performance to the constituencies and stakeholder organisations that elected and/or nominated them.
“HDFT is committed to providing the best possible healthcare service for our community and we have a number of exciting projects over the next few years which will help us to further improve on the service we offer. It is an exciting time for our Trust and we would love to hear from anyone interested in becoming a governor.”
Anyone interested in standing can obtain more information and a nomination form by visiting www.cesvotes.com/hdft2023, calling 0208 889 9203 or emailing [email protected].
Further details can also be found at www.hdft.nhs.uk/about/council-of-governors/governor-elections/
Nominations close at 5pm on Monday 5 June.
Elections will open on Friday 23 June when voting packs will be dispatched to members. The final day of voting will be Thursday 13 July with declaration of results taking place on Friday 14 July.
Patients undergoing knee surgery at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) are benefiting from an innovative new multimedia solution designed to improve their experience and understanding of their treatment, whilst also reducing unnecessary outpatient appointments.
Transforming outpatient services is a key commitment set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, with digital solutions playing an increasing role. As part of this work, HDFT have introduced a bespoke multimedia operation report for patients undergoing a knee arthroscopy – a type of keyhole surgery for checking or repairing the joint.
When patients undergoing knee arthroscopies were surveyed, almost 25% felt they were not alert enough to discuss their surgery in the post operation period, with three quarters unable to recall post operation instructions such as weight bearing advice. As a consequence, over half of patients required additional outpatient appointments to aid their understanding.
In 2020, Mr Dave Duffy, a consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon at HDFT began developing a solution using a multimedia operation report for patients. Using the Arthrex Synergy Surgeon App, he devised a tool to provide patients with a clear understanding of what they have experienced. For each knee arthroscopy, the procedure is videoed with Mr Duffy adding a step by step audio explanation so that the patient can fully understand the procedure. The patient is also provided with access to videos explaining the next steps they should be taking in their recovery, from bandaging their wounds to appropriate exercises.
Since the introduction of the multimedia operation report, only 15 per cent of patients who have received it have felt they would need a further follow-up appointment.
Mr Dave Duffy said: “The multimedia solution we have introduced has proven to be a real success. All of the patients who have received a report have stated they found the video of the operation and the post operative advice very reassuring.
“The report puts patients’ minds at ease, provides answers to many of their questions and in many cases removes the need for further appointments or written communications, allowing the clinician to spend additional time helping other patients.
“We have received lots of enquiries about the innovation from other partners in the NHS and we are keen to share our learning to scale up the innovation for the benefits of patients.”
Russell Nightingale, Chief Operating Officer at HDFT said: “We are committed to providing the best possible healthcare service for our community and this innovative tool provides clear benefits for our patients, our Trust and the environment.
“By reducing the number of follow-up appointments we can use this time to treat other patients, which will have a positive impact on waiting times. There is also a clear environmental benefit too by reducing unnecessary transport journeys to the hospital.”
Dr Jacqueline Andrews, Medical Director and Executive Lead for Digital at HDFT said: “Our Trust’s strategy puts healthcare innovation at the heart of everything we do. Our purpose is to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, children and communities, and digital transformation plays an important role in this.
“We want to invest in digital tools and services which makes it easier to provide the best quality, safest care and improves the experience for our patients. As a relatively small Trust we have the ability to be agile when it comes to innovation, rapidly piloting new innovations and gaining feedback fast, for the benefits of healthcare innovation businesses and the NHS.
“The UK has a thriving life sciences and digital health sector, and we want to make it as easy as possible for industry partners to work with us to drive through leading edge innovation for our patients. As a result, we have invested in an exciting new Healthcare Research and Innovation Hub which will be located at St James Park, Knaresborough, and is due to open in July.
“The aim is to enable rapid exchange and transfer of ideas relating to research, innovation and digital improvement, through sharing of knowledge and learning. The Hub will create an easy to access single front door for innovation and innovators into the Harrogate and District Health System and will enable closer working with business, academic and healthcare sectors.”
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) has appointed Jonathan Coulter as its new Chief Executive following a national recruitment process.
Jonathan will succeed Steve Russell, who went on secondment to NHS England as National Director for Vaccinations and Screening in February 2022, and who accepted the permanent role at NHS England in December 2022.
Jonathan has worked in the NHS for 30 years, with over 20 years as a director. He has been the interim Chief Executive at HDFT since February 2022.
Jonathan, who was appointed Finance Director at HDFT in March 2006 and became Deputy Chief Executive in 2010, has contributed significantly to the success of the organisation over the past seventeen years.
Announcing the appointment Sarah Armstrong, Chair of HDFT said: “I am delighted Jonathan has been appointed to the role of Chief Executive and I know he will lead the organisation with care, dedication and commitment.
“This is an exciting time for our Trust. We are committed to providing the best possible level of healthcare for our community and we have a number of exciting projects over the next few years which will further improve on the high quality health and wellbeing service we provide.
“Jonathan’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in driving these projects forward and I am very much looking forward to working closely with him in the future.”
Jonathan Coulter said: “I am delighted to have been appointed permanently into the role of Chief Executive.
“HDFT is a brilliant organisation with wonderful people. It is very humbling to be in a position to support all of our fantastic colleagues to be the best that they can be, and continue to do what we try to do every day, which is to help and support the people who need us.”
