Report reveals operations were cancelled after anaesthetic given at private Huddersfield hospital

Report reveals operations were cancelled after anaesthetic given at private Huddersfield hospital

BMI Hospital, which charges thousands for surgery, receives erratic CQC report

A Huddersfield hospital has been criticised for operations cancelled due to broken equipment, ‘dated’ wards and out-of-date food.

The Huddersfield Hospital, in Birkby, is a private unit which charges a premium, with services costing thousands of pounds.

A report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found the hospital’s services were in many cases, far from premium.

The government health watchdog gave the hospital, on Birkby Hall Road, an amber ‘requires improvement’ rating.

It receives the amber rating for safety, effectiveness, responsiveness and its management plus a ‘good’ rating for its caring treatment of patients.

During its inspection earlier this year, the CQC found:

- ‘a high number’ of operations were cancelled due to a lack of equipment, broken equipment or a breakdown in procedures to assess patients before their procedures (pre-assessment);

- some operations were even cancelled at the last minute – after anaesthetic has been administered;

- out-of-date microwave meals for patients in a fridge and a freezer with a broken thermometer;

- falling masonry, potholes in the drive, and a lack of fire doors in theatre;

- ‘dated’ looking patient rooms and clinical areas.

The CQC reported that ‘reasonable adjustments’ had not been made for disabled patients.

And it was critical of the hospital’s managers.

Chief Inspector of Hospitals Professor Sir Mike Richards said: “Not all leaders had the necessary experience, or knowledge for aspects of their role.”

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Free festive food and fundraising galore: Grange Moor pub's Christmas mission

Free festive food and fundraising galore: Grange Moor pub's Christmas mission
Staff and management of The Blacksmiths Arms, Grange Moor, host a Christmas dinner for Yorkshire Childrens Centre. Left to right Pub manager Mark Watson, Sindy Mitchell from the Childrens Centre, Manageress Sarah Watson and Christine Wilson from the Childrens Centre.

Free festive food and fundraising galore: Grange Moor pub's Christmas mission

The Blacksmith's Arms is working hard to spread Christmas cheer

Not content with offering up free festive meals to the elderly, staff at the Blacksmith’s Arms in Grange Moor reached out to the Men’s Shed charity group and firefighters from Skelmanthorpe.

And the pub’s charity giving shows no signs of slowing down, with at least two more good causes lined up for support.

The Grange Moor eatery is hoping to provide a magical Christmas for two families with children battling cancer.

As part of the Blacksmith’s Arms Community Giveback 2016, which aims to raise £3,000, Christmas luncheons have already been provided to people in the Befriending Group, which seeks out and supports lonely and isolated elderly people, and firefighters from West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue at Skelmanthorpe as a thank you for their work in the community.

Members of the Men’s Shed group - which supports men suffering from anxiety, depression and lack of confidence - will be the pub’s next guests.

A dozen guests and volunteers from the Befriending Group, which is run by Yorkshire Children’s Centre, tucked into a three-course meal with mince pies and sherry, had a game of bingo and were entertained by Grange Moor Choir.

And the 10 firefighters from Skelmanthorpe were stunned and delighted when their offer to pay for their meal was politely refused.

Sarah-Jane Turner, team leader at the Blacksmith’s, said managers Sarah and Mark Watson aim to keep building their charity support.

Their next project will be to raise a further £3,000 to provide a sprinkling of Christmas spirit for two local families with children battling cancer.

“It was absolutely lovely to see the Befriending Group having a good time,” says Sarah-Jane.

“We realised that most of them wouldn’t have much of a Christmas, so they were able to enjoy some festivities and a meal. They appreciated everything we put on. Everybody loved it.

“With the firefighters we just wanted them to put their feet up. They didn’t expect it to be free and were very grateful for the gesture.”

A chunk of the £3,000 target was raised last week through a sponsored ‘tinsel trek’ - a 14.2 mile slog from the Ruddy Duck in Wakefield to the Yorkshire Rose in Huddersfield.

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Here's what Kirklees Council had to say about Christmas lights switch-on complaints

Here's what Kirklees Council had to say about Christmas lights switch-on complaints

Here's what Kirklees Council had to say about Christmas lights switch-on complaints

Council spokesman responds to criticism after Saturday's switch-on event

Disappointed visitors to Huddersfield’s Christmas lights switch-on took to social media to complain about this year’s event - and now Kirklees Council has responded.

Comments made on the Examiner Facebook page criticised this year’s festivities, held on Saturday November 19, complaining that they struggled to hear the sound system and were disappointed with the festive lights display.

Many were upset that Santa Claus didn’t abseil down the side of the library building like last year and bemoaned the lack of food and drink stalls in the Piazza, where the switch-on took place.

Kirklees Council has now issued a statement in response to the complaints, and said that it would take all feedback into consideration when planning next year’s event.

The council explained the financial pressures involved in hosting the switch-on event and added that it was unaware of any issues with sound on the night.

A Kirklees Council spokesperson said: “As in recent years, we have worked together with the Piazza Management Ltd and Pulse Radio on the switch-on of the festive lights in Huddersfield.

It is only by working in partnership that it is possible to retain this event, at a time when the council faces unprecedented cuts to its finances.

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Manipulative paedophile Andrew Lynes says he's not a danger to society

Manipulative paedophile Andrew Lynes says he's not a danger to society

Manipulative paedophile Andrew Lynes says he's not a danger to society

But Appeal Court judges say he most certainly is

A “manipulative” paedophile who abused a teenage boy in a park has been told by top judges he deserved to be branded a danger to society.

Andrew Charles Lynes described himself as a “committed paedophile” and downloaded sickening images of children, as well as sharing his depraved fantasies with other sex offenders.

He and Michael Fiek – who killed himself on the day he was due to be sentenced – sexually abused a 15-year-old boy in Thornes Park, Wakefield, and filmed the incident after paying him £80.

The former driving instructor also discussed plans to abuse children with James Bould, another paedophile who had preyed on a teenage boy.

Lynes, 52, of Deighton Road, Deighton, admitted 11 sex offences, including sexual activity with a child, paying a child for sex, downloading and distributing indecent images and conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child.

He was handed an extended sentence for public protection, made up of a seven-and-a-half-year jail term and five years extra on licence, at Leeds Crown Court in January.

JAILED: Paedophiles James Bould and Andrew Lynes

Lynes challenged his sentence at the Court of Appeal, in London, with his lawyers insisting the crown court judge was wrong to find he is “dangerous.”

But his complaints were thrown out by three senior judges who said there was evidence to support the conclusion he poses a risk to the public.

The court heard Bould shared an image of a 14-year-old boy he had abused with Lynes and the pair then discussed having sex with the teenager.

They also talked online about abusing young boys and girls.

Lynes and Fiek chatted online before meeting in Thornes Park, in 2014, where they both abused a 15-year-old boy and filmed the incident.

In his online discussions Lynes said he was “obsessed” by young children and he also amassed a collection of indecent images between July 2010 and 2014. Bould, 35, from Dewsbury, was handed a 14-year extended sentence, made up of eight years and eight months in jail and an extra licence period of five years and four months, after admitting eight sex offences.

He was on prison licence at the time of his offending, after being jailed in 2008 for abusing a child under 16.

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Huddersfield ice-cream flavour 'that shouldn't work' wins competition

Huddersfield ice-cream flavour 'that shouldn't work' wins competition

And it's raw milk goes down a treat too

A Huddersfield ice cream maker has won a regional award.

Denby Dale-based Yummy Yorkshire won the category of Best Ice Cream for their Liquorice and Blackcurrant flavour at the 2016 Deliciously Yorkshire Taste Awards at the Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.

The judges described it as “a very delicate ice cream which allows all the components to come through the salt and sweet contrast in flavours is lovely. It shouldn’t work but it absolutely does.”

Yummy Yorkshire’s sister company Delph House Farm Ltd had its raw milk shortlisted under the Best Drink category. Jeremy Holmes, director of Delph House Farm said; “It represents a shift in the market to consumers really appreciating raw and natural products.

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Where will it snow in Huddersfield — and will we have a white Christmas?

Where will it snow in Huddersfield — and will we have a white Christmas?

Where will it snow in Huddersfield — and will we have a white Christmas?

Forecaster believes "significant snow event" on its way

A warning of snow has been issued by the Met Office for Yorkshire – but Huddersfield forecaster Paul Stevens believes it will only affect moorland areas.

The ‘yellow warning’, from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, is predicting rain turning to snow up to 8cm deep in some hilly areas and as much as 15cm on very high ground.

A Met Office spokesman said: “Overnight Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, as snow peters out over Scotland, Pennine areas are expected to receive a covering of snow, largely on vegetated surfaces above 200-300m.

“However, there is also the potential for 5-10cm of snow to settle to low levels over parts of Yorkshire and down into the north east Midlands, though with a good deal of uncertainty about this.

“Please be aware of the potential for difficult driving conditions in some areas.”

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Staff shortage left elderly care home residents unable to go to toilet

Staff shortage left elderly care home residents unable to go to toilet - Aden Court Care Home, Birkhouse Lane, Moldgreen, Huddersfield.

Staff shortage left elderly care home residents unable to go to toilet

Aden Court Care Home, Birkhouse Lane, Moldgreen, Huddersfield.

Elderly care home residents were unable to use the toilet when they wanted because of a shortage of staff.

Aden Court at Moldgreen has been criticised following an inspection by the health watchdog.

Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspectors found a staff shortage meant residents who needed to be accompanied to the bathroom had to wait far longer than they should.

Residents’ bedroom doors were not always closed when they were being helped with bathing and showering.

Staff told CQC officials that they left them ajar so they could hear call buzzers from other rooms.

One resident had become trapped in their bedrails yet managers had not written a plan on how they would try and prevent it in the future.

Inspectors also raised a number of other issues. They included shortcomings in documenting and storing medicines.

The staff shortage had also meant one patient had not had their care plan reviewed for more than three months.

The home off Birkhouse Lane has been rated as “requires improvement” by the CQC.

Management at the home have vowed to recruit more staff in a bid to overcome some of the issues.

While it has been told to improve, the home was praised for its “warm and friendly” atmosphere.

A spokesman for the home said: “Nothing is more important to us than the health, safety and wellbeing of the people we support.

“Immediately after the inspection in September, we implemented a comprehensive action plan to address the areas raised by the CQC.

“This has included increasing staff numbers and appointing staff ‘champions’ to ensure high standards are consistently maintained at all times.

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Take A&E decision out of local health chiefs' hands, say Lib Dems

Take A&E decision out of local health chiefs' hands, say Lib Dems

Take A&E decision out of local health chiefs' hands, say Lib Dems

Councillors call for hospital shake up plan to be referred to the government

It’s time to take Huddersfield’s A&E decision out of local health chiefs hands.

That’s the call from the Liberal Democrat group at Kirklees Council.

Kirklees and Calderdale health officials are forging ahead with their plan to downgrade Huddersfield Royal Infirmary after a vote by GPs last month.

Hands Off HRI campaigners were shocked when the proposal to beef up Calderdale Royal and demolish HRI was unanimously voted through on October 20.

Now the Lib Dems have called on members of a council committee to use their powers to refer the controversial restructure for independent review.

The Kirklees and Calderdale Joint Health Scrutiny Committee is able to refer the plan to the Secretary of State for Health for assessment.

It could then be analysed by the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) and a recommendation would be made to the Secretary of State, Jeremy Hunt.

Kirklees Lib Dems have become the first to urge the joint health scrutiny committee to get the unpopular plan referred.

In a letter to Clr Liz Smaje, chair of the committee, they say: “We are concerned by the approach taken by Greater Huddersfield and Calderdale CCGs and their capacity to make an informed and objective evidence-based decision.

“We regret the decision taken by the CCGs to approve the proposal, particularly in light of clear opposition from residents in Kirklees.

“The decision also runs contrary to the agreement by Kirklees councillors to oppose the changes in local NHS services.

“Furthermore, the proposal does not have support of many local GPs and health practitioners, as evident by opposition from Kirklees Local Medical Committee.

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