Important information: The use of face coverings and gloves when coming to into hospital

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

Please remove your gloves - Good hand hygiene is one of the keys to defeating Coronavirus

  • If you are wearing gloves when attending our clinics you will be asked to remove them
  • We will ask that you wash your hands with soap or sanitiser
  • You may sanitise your hands and reapply your gloves before you leave

Visiting Times at KGH

Visiting arrangements for adult and children’s wards


On 5 June the government announced that restrictions to hospital visiting could be relaxed.  After discussion, Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust jointly agreed we would not change the current visiting restrictions and arrangements until we could assure ourselves of patient and staff safety, particularly with regard to social distancing. The government then set out new requirements for visitors as well as staff to wear face coverings, so we needed to further review our environments.
 
The senior management of the above organisations discussed and agreed to continue to review together how we could safely reduce the current visiting restrictions.  This will not see a completely open visiting regime, but a ‘new normal’ with new rules, e.g. we will probably not allow visiting, unless on compassionate grounds, to wards with Covid positive patients, and there are likely to be restrictions on the length of time of a visit, the amount of visitors, use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and social distancing in individual wards.

Having reviewed our current visiting restrictions at KGH on 2nd July and listened to the views of our patients and our staff.  We are also mindful of the impact that Covid-19 continues to have on communities across the country and, having taken all issues into consideration, we have taken the decision to keep our current restrictions in place for a little while longer, for the full message to our patients.  These measures will continue to be reviewed.

Please note any changes will apply only to adult, older adult and children and young people’s wards. Separate special arrangements for maternity wards will be announced in due course.
 
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 – one birth partner only on Labour Ward.
  • 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 – one other person only if needed.
  • Outpatients – please try to attend your appointment alone.  Patients needing support are permitted to being along one carer only.
  • Maternity scans and Antenatal appointments - patients must be unaccompanied.
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

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.
 
Thank you for your co-operation.
 

Visiting Family and Friends in Hospital

Please do not visit your friend or relative if you feel unwell, for example, with a cough, sore throat, cold, rash or upset stomach. Please telephone the ward prior to visiting, where staff will be happy to advise, on when it is safe to visit.
Please don’t sit on the beds, visitor chairs are provided. These measures help reduce the risk of infection.

Handwashing

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). 

Smoke free environment

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.

Mobile Phones

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.

Food

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.

Patients' Laundry

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.

Overnight Accommodation

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.

End of Life Care

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.

Spiritual and Pastoral Care (Chaplaincy)

"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.
 

Leaflets

 

Giving Us Your Feedback

We would like to hear what you think

Listening to our patients, carers and relatives helps us improve the services we provide. We are here to listen, so we can learn from your experience. It is also beneficial when we receive feedback when things have gone well, so that we can build on good practice and continue to make improvements.
 
We understand that raising a concern can be difficult, especially when you don't know who to turn to. If you are unhappy about the treatment that you or somebody you care for is receiving, it may help talking to somebody directly involved. This might be a nurse, ward manager or doctor who will make every attempt to resolve your concerns.
 
If you're unable to discuss your concerns with a member of staff, or want to discuss them with someone in confidence away from the service, you can contact PALS.(Patient Advisory & Liaison Service.) PALS is a free and confidential service for people who would like information about, or to comment on, any aspect of the services provided by Kettering General Hospital. To contact PALS please telephone 01536 493305/ 493306 or email kgh-tr.pals@nhs.net
 
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.