Important information: Visiting arrangements on our adult inpatient wards - updated 27.01.2023

From Friday 27 January visiting arrangements on our adult inpatient wards are been revised. 
 
Following a review of our infection prevention and control guidance, we are now allowing two visitors to visit their loved ones at the bedside for up to two hours per day.
 
In order to maintain patient and public / visitor safety; visiting will be subject to the ward not having any active cases of infections that could be passed on. This local guidance could change at any time at short notice.
 
This change is as a result of us continually monitoring infection rates in the hospital and locally.
 
Patients attending outpatient appointments can bring one adult to accompany them, however we would ask patients who are able to attend alone, to please do so.
 
Visitors and staff must continue with mask wearing and infection control guidance.
 
The hospitals’ infection prevention and control guidance to the public includes:
  • Anyone showing any symptoms of COVID-19 or feeling otherwise unwell must not visit.
  • Do not visit if a member of your household has tested positive for COVID-19 or flu
  • Visitors, parents, guardians, siblings will be asked to wear a surgical facemask to visit our wards – including the Emergency Department
  • Symptom /wellness checks will be completed on arrival in our wards
  • Please continue to wash your hands regularly before, during, and after, attending hospital and follow staff instructions relevant to the area being attended.
 
Other actions local people can take to support their hospitals at this difficult time include:
  • Please continue to wash your hands regularly before, during, and after, attending hospital and follow staff instructions relevant to the area being attended.
  • Only going to A&E where this is absolutely necessary and using alternatives such as GP telephone appointments, pharmacies, Corby Urgent Care Centre or NHS 111.
  • Don’t unnecessarily accompany someone to hospital unless your presence is vital for their safety. We have limited socially distanced waiting facilities and cannot allow these to become unnecessarily crowded
  • Please attend your appointments on time – but not too much before time. If you arrive too early, you will be making waiting areas more crowded than they need to be.

Visiting arrangements for the Emergency Department

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.
 
Your patience and understanding is very much appreciated through these unprecedented time.
 
Dr Adrian Ierina
Clinical Director
Emergency Department

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.

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 at 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.

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.

More information on our Hospital Specialist Palliative Care Team.

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). 

Printable KGH Maps

For printable version of maps including KGH Estate/site map, KGH ward and department plan. 

Mobile phones, tablets, portable personal electrical equipment and WiFi

Many patients like to bring with them their mobile phone, tablet or other portable electrical equipment to either keep in touch with friends and family or for personal entertainment – particularly as not all ward areas have access to television or bedside telephones.
 
The hospital cannot take responsibility for loss or damage of personal electronic equipment.
 
Patients and their visitors can access Public KGH Wi-Fi while at the hospital. This will enable people to connect their laptops, tablets and smartphones to our Wi-Fi network. 
 
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.

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.

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.

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 Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS).  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 Smile Awards.
 
You can also leave comments about the care you have received on the NHS Choices website or complete our Friends and Family Questionnaire.