Visiting Family and Friends

People infected with COVID-19 can have very mild or no respiratory symptoms (asymptomatic) and can transmit the virus to others without being aware of it.

 

Following recommend recommendations from the World Health organisation, and in line with UK government guidance, we're introducing new measures at KGH to keep visitors, patients and staff safe. From Monday 15 June 2020 you will need to wear a face covering at all times inside our hospital. Find out more

In line with the Trust’s guidance on visiting during the pandemic we are continuing to restrict visiting to the Emergency Department. The Trust is constantly reviewing visiting restrictions at KGH and listening to the views of our patients and our staff.  We are mindful of the impact that Covid-19 continues to have on communities across the country and we are aware that Northamptonshire continues to be an area of concern.

 

This has not been an easy decision for us to make and we know that some of our patients and their loved ones will be disappointed. However, our priority is to keep our patients and staff safe and not having visitors on site at the present time will help us to do this. We appreciate the support we have received from the local community and want to assure you all that we are looking forward to welcoming visitors back to our hospital as soon as it is safe for us and them to do so.

 

We ask you to wear a face covering at all times in the Department and to wash your hands frequently. If you are mask exempt please ask a member of our reception staff for a visor and a sticker to alert staff to your exemption. 

 

Staff will also be wearing facemasks at all times. Please let us know if you find communication difficult as a result of this. We have resources available to help reduce the impact. 

 

We understand there may be upsetting or difficult circumstances when visiting would be possible for one person by arrangement and agreement with the nurse in charge. Any such arrangements will need to be on a case by case basis following strict procedure to ensure everyone’s safety.

 

We are further restricting visiting to our hospital to help tackle the spread of COVID-19 in order to protect both our patients and our staff.

 

With effect from Wednesday 25 March we will not allow any visitors to our hospital, with a few exceptions.

 

Maternity – See Maternity Services

Neonatal Ward – Mother only between 9am and 5 pm.

Paediatrics – one parent/guardian only.  Strictly no siblings.

Patients at the end of life – in the upsetting and difficult circumstances where patients may be at the end of their life, the decision for visiting will be down to the nurse in charge. 

Emergency department –  please attend alone, if you need support you are permitted to bring along one carer only.

Outpatients – please attend your appointment alone. Patients needing support are permitted to bring along one carer only.

Maternity scans and Antenatal appointments – See Maternity Services

In exceptional circumstances please discuss with ward staff.

 

From Friday 5 June, visiting arrangements for hospitals is now at the discretion of individual Trusts. At KGH and NGH we are continuing with current restrictions as we believe this helps to keep our patients and staff safe and reduces the risk of cross infection. See the full message to our patients. A range of arrangements are available for you to keep in touch with a relative/loved one in hospital.

 

On arrival to any ward or department, all visitors should wash their hands thoroughly (for 20 seconds at least) or use the hand sanitiser provided. We also ask that you use the hand sanitiser on leaving the ward or department.

To help us minimise the risk of infection we encourage all  visitors and patients entering and leaving the ward to cleanse their hands using the hand sanitisers available at entry points to the ward areas. 

 

If you are unable to use the hand sanitiser, please wash your hands with soap and water, at the nearest sink (at many ward entrances). 

As from 6th June 2016 KGH has been designated a totally smoke-free site - both inside and out.

 

The smoking ban is across the whole of the NHS as part of the Government's campaign to improve the health of the nation.

 

To maintain this, people smoking on the hospital site can expect to be addressed by a member of staff or our security team and asked to put out their cigarette.

Please be aware that the hospital has variable mobile phone signal and public WiFi coverage. As a Trust we are aware of this and are current making improvements to the public WiFi solution. More details to follow in due course.

 

The hospital cannot take responsibility for loss or damage of personal electronic equipment.

 

Please do not use your mobile phone to take photographs of staff or other patients during your stay – this is an infringement of other people’s privacy and could result in action being taken against you by the individual(s) concerned.

Sometimes friends and relatives like to bring food in for patients when they are visiting such as biscuits, cake, fresh fruit and juices. Please check first with the ward staff just in case the patient you are visiting has any dietary restrictions or difficulties in swallowing.

 

We generally do not encourage you to bring other food into the hospital from home, as there is a risk from food poisoning, if it is not stored correctly during transportation or in the hospital.

  

You should NOT bring in food that needs to be heated or cooked as there are no cooking facilities on the wards. Please always ask staff advice on the best way to store food brought in safely.

 

Relatives and friends are welcome to bring in their own drink, sandwich or snacks to eat whilst visiting at meal times as this can make the meal time experience more sociable especially for our older patients.

We encourage patients to wear suitable clothing during their stay, including day wear where possible.

 

To help us we ask that friends and relatives take home the patients dirty clothing in a sealed plastic bag to wash and bring in clean clothes.

 

This will helps our patients feel cleaner and fresher and reduce the risk of infection. Special clothes bags are available on the wards for this purpose, please ask ward staff if you need to use one.

We have some rooms available for relatives of seriously ill patients on the Intensive Care Unit. "Put-me-up" beds are also available for parents of children in our children's ward.

 

Sometimes relatives/carers wishing to stay on site can book single or double rooms (with allocated parking bays) through Optivo, the hospital’s staff housing provider. Please contact the Property Manager on 0203 202 0330 for details. 

 

Whilst most wards have regular visiting hours, they do not apply if your loved one is thought to be in the last days of life. Please feel free to stay with your loved one as long as you need to. If you wish to stay overnight please ask the ward how best we can accommodate this.

At Kettering General Hospital we believe End of Life Care matters; ensuring quality of care meets the individual needs of patients who are between the last year of life and the last hours or days of life.

 

The last few days or hours of life will be different for each person and it can be difficult to predict what will happen or how quickly changes will occur.

 

It is important you feel able to ask questions in order to understand what is happening. Medical and nursing staff will be there to support you and to answer any questions you may have.

For information on our Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team click here.

"The Spiritual & Pastoral Care Service seeks to transform lives by nurturing and promoting wellbeing, wholeness and recovery through spiritual and religious outcomes of hope meaning and purpose"

 

The Chaplains are here to be a listening ear and a helping hand for you, your family and friends during your stay in hospital. Chaplains are members of hospital staff trained to provide religious, spiritual and pastoral care to all our patients, visitors and staff. 

 

The Chaplains regularly visit the wards and are always happy to see patients or visitors.  They are available to listen and provide practical help and support. Outside of normal working hours we provide a 24/7 on-call service.  If you ask the nursing staff they can always contact us.  

Working alongside the Chaplains are Chaplaincy Volunteers who visit the wards during the week and  weekends. 

We also have a Multi-Faith group, comprised of local people from different faiths (including Bahá’í, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim) who are able to visit in the hospital and minister as requested.

 

The Multi-Faith Chapel, near to the Main Reception, is always open and provides a quiet retreat in the midst of a busy hospital. It is a place for prayer and quiet reflection for people of all faiths and beliefs. A Multi-Faith Prayer Room (with washing facilities alongside), is also available in the main hospital.

If you would like a Chaplain or a member of the Multi-Faith group to visit, please call us on: 01536 492609, email kgh-tr.chaplaincy@nhs.net or ask a member of staff to contact us on your behalf.

 

 

 

 

 

If you have been pleased by the care that you have received please do take the time to let our staff know – it gives us all a real boost and a thank you goes a long way. For staff who have gone the extra mile you can also nominate them for one of our CARE Smile Awards KGH Smile Nomination Form Word 2018.pdf [pdf] 425KB .

 

You can also leave comments about the care you have received on the NHS Choices website or complete our Friends and Family Questionnaire.