About Us
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) is a high-performing organisation rated as ‘Good’ overall and ‘Outstanding’ for caring by the Care Quality Commission.
With a purpose to improve the health and wellbeing for our patients, children and communities, we are a values-driven organisation committed to providing clinically and financially sustainable high quality services by supporting our 5,500 colleagues to thrive at work.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) is an integrated provider of Acute, Community and Children’s and Young People’s Public Health Services.
HDFT is the principal provider of district general hospital services to the population of Harrogate and the surrounding district, and also provides services to North and West Leeds. In total this covers a catchment population for acute and community services of approximately 316,000 people. In addition, the Trust provides some community services across North Yorkshire (with a population of 621,000 people) and provides Children’s and Young People’s Public Health Services between birth and 19 (or in some cases 25) years of age in North Yorkshire, County Durham, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-On-Tees, Sunderland, Gateshead, Northumberland, Wakefield, and most recently won the contract for Cumberland, and Westmorland and Furness. The Trust’s Children’s Public Health Services look after over 600,000 children across these localities.
We are committed to becoming a continuously learning organisation and have worked in partnership with a global leader in healthcare improvement to created HDFT Impact, our Trust wide continuous improvement programme.
Digital is becoming increasingly important to our organisation. We have introduced a wide range of digital solutions over the last few years and are currently undertaking one of the largest transformation projects ever at HDFT – the development of a new Electronic Patient Record (EPR). The EPR will fundamentally change the way colleagues care for patients, and be the centre of the Trust’s connected digital systems, improving patient safety through better integration and availability of clinical data in an easier to use format which can be found in the right place and at the right time.
As a Trust we are committed to improving our research and innovation infrastructure to ensure that our patients and community in the Harrogate district have the same level of access to clinical trials of leading edge therapies and technologies as patients who may live nearer to a large teaching hospital. To help achieve this aim, we opened an Innovation Hub in 2024 and have funding to create a dedicated Clinical Research Facility in 2025.
This year, we will also be building a a new, state of the art Day Case Surgery and Imaging Centre at Harrogate District Hospital, which will house two new operating theatres, two treatment rooms, a day case ward and imaging department. The build is the latest development in the Trust’s transformation programme, which over the last few years, has seen the redevelopment of Harrogate District Hospital’s Emergency Department and the creation of Emergency Department 2 for minor injuries and illnesses, and the opening of a Community Diagnostic Centre at Ripon Community Hospital, which provides faster access to tests and scans.
A number of exciting development projects are planned in the future which will strengthen HDFT’s place as a leading provider of healthcare in Yorkshire and the North of England and help us to improve the health and wellbeing of our patients, children and communities.
As a member of the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT) our shared vision is to provide an efficient and sustainable healthcare system across the region that uses innovation and best practice for the benefit of patients. The time we spend working together across our trusts has grown substantially to the extent that we all now view WYAAT as part of our everyday business. We exist as a group because we know it is helping us deliver the best possible experience and outcomes for our patients and populations. In addition we are members of the acute care collaborative in Humber and North Yorkshire (our ICB).
Our Services
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (HDFT) provides care for the population of Harrogate and the surrounding areas, as well as across North Yorkshire and Leeds. We also deliver children’s public health services across North Yorkshire, County Durham, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Gateshead, Sunderland, and Wakefield. From April 2025, we will also provide children’s public health services in Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness.
Harrogate District Hospital
Based in the spa town of Harrogate, services include:
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A Type 1 Consultant-led Emergency Department.
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Extensive outpatient facilities.
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Intensive and high-dependency therapy units.
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Coronary care and medically enhanced care units.
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Eight theatres, with two additional theatres under construction.
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A state-of-the-art cancer centre offering assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
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Dedicated facilities for cardiology, endoscopy, pathology, pharmacy, imaging, therapy services, a child development centre, acute stroke ward, and women’s unit.
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Comprehensive obstetric led maternity services, including antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care, as well as a special care baby unit and early pregnancy assessment unit.
Ripon Community Hospital
Located in the charming cathedral city of Ripon, this hospital offers quality care for the local community with:
- An inpatient rehabilitation ward.
- A minor injuries unit.
- A community diagnostics centre providing x-ray, ultrasound, audiology, cardiology, respiratory tests, and phlebotomy.
- A base for integrated health and social care teams, including community midwifery services.
Collaborative Services
The Trust collaborates with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust through the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT). WYAAT is a collaborative comprising six NHS trusts across West Yorkshire and Harrogate, including HDFT and LTHT, working together to deliver integrated acute hospital services. This partnership enables both trusts to share resources, expertise, and best practices, aiming to provide efficient and sustainable healthcare services across the region. By working collaboratively, HDFT and LTHT strive to enhance patient care and outcomes for the communities they serve.
We also partner with York and Scarborough Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to offer services such as ENT, Vascular, Audiology and more.
Community Services
Our community services cover Harrogate and North Yorkshire, delivered by experienced staff who collaborate closely with primary care, social care, and voluntary providers. These include:
- Podiatry, nursing, and therapy services.
- GP out-of-hours care.
- Infection prevention and TB liaison.
- Services for older people and vulnerable adults.
- Safeguarding for children.
- Dental and specialist community services.
We also provide domiciliary care for those needing support after a hospital stay or for long-term needs, serving Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, and beyond.
Children and Young People's Services
As the largest provider of children’s public health services in England, we support over 700,000 children and their families across various regions. These services are delivered by multidisciplinary teams of health visitors and school nurses, addressing needs from early years through adolescence.
The needs of children, young people, and families are at the heart of our services. We work closely with local authorities and other organisations across multiple systems to ensure tailored care that meets the challenges of each community we serve.
Harrogate Integrated Facilities
In 2018, the Trust established Harrogate Healthcare Facilities Management Ltd, trading as Harrogate Integrated Facilities. This subsidiary provides estates and facilities services, supporting Trust operations and offering services to external organisations such as private hospitals and dental practices.