News

MEMBERS of the Organ and Tissue Donation Committees at Kettering and Northampton general hospitals are emphasising the importance of confirming your decision to donate during the national awareness week.

 Organ Donation Week runs from Monday, September 23, to Sunday September 29, and this year, the 30^th anniversary of the national register, there is an emphasis on encouraging people to confirm their decision to donate on the national Organ Donation Register .

 England now has an opt-out system for organ donation, meaning most adults are considered to have no objection to donation unless they have made a decision to opt-out on the Organ Donor Register. However it is still a benefit to confirm your decision to donate and tell your family as this makes it easier for donation to take place in the event of your death.

Find out how your local hospitals are performing and their plans for the future at our annual public meeting.

 University Hospitals of Northamptonshire is a collaboration between Kettering and Northampton general hospitals (KGH and NGH) and was launched in July 2021, with both Trusts working together to improve patient care and experience in Northamptonshire.

A joint public meeting of the two Trusts – which will outline current performance and future plans – is being held on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at the Prince William Education Centre at Kettering General Hospital, from 4pm-6pm.

Starting on August 27 the new local NHS Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) building in Corby took shape rapidly with modules craned into place over 5 days .

The building is due to open in the spring next year, within the Willowbrook Health Complex in Corby. The building will house equipment for essential diagnostic tests, helping patients to access these tests quicker than waiting for a hospital appointment.

The diagnostics facility will provide Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Computed Tomography (CT) as well as x-ray, echocardiogram and blood testing to lead to diagnosis and treatment.

A pregnancy and baby road show is being hosted by Kettering General Hospital to help hundreds of parents-to-be to prepare for their big day and subsequently care for their baby. 

The event on Thursday, September 19, is the 34th in 26 years and it will provide a huge range of advice on all aspects of pregnancy and baby care. 

It is being held at The Hall@KGH (the recreation hall next to car park B at the main KGH site) from 6pm-8pm. Concessionary £1 car parking will be available. 

Additional specialist support for families who have been through the difficulties of having sick and premature babies is now being delivered in Northamptonshire’s acute hospitals and in the community.

•   The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) – a group collaboration between Kettering and Northampton general hospitals – now has a specialist Neonatal Clinical Psychologist supporting the neonatal units at both acute hospitals. 

Skin specialists at Kettering General Hospital are offering local people the chance to have moles and other marks on their skin checked out to have peace of mind on possible skin cancers.

  Last year more than 600 members of the public attended a free skin surveillance day held in the KGH Dermatology Centre at Prospect House, Lower Street, Kettering.

  This year the event is being held on two days. The first is in Prospect House again on Saturday, September 7, from 9am-12 noon.

  The second is on Monday, September 9, also from 9am-12 noon, at the Irish Centre in Patrick Road, Corby.

  People who attend the event will get tickets and will be seen so long as they arrive between 9am and 12 noon.

A Kettering General Hospital midwife and a KGH team that supports families having caesarean sections have won national awards from England’s top midwife.

  And on August 20 England’s Chief Midwifery Officer, Kate Brintworth, presented her National Silver Awards to both Community Midwifery Support Lead, Mary Grey, and to members of the Elective Caesarean Section Team.

Patients and their families will benefit from a new hospital step-down facility designed to deliver great rehabilitation care outside of hospital.

  University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) reopened the Spinneyfield Specialist Care Centre in Rushden on Monday, August 19, 2024.

  The facility will enable UHN – which runs Kettering and Northampton general hospitals – to provide care to patients who no longer require acute hospital care in a more appropriate care setting supported by a multidisciplinary team including doctors, nurses and therapists,