Kettering Hospital needs to get its act together, says MP

The hospital where a ward was accused of failing children "needs to get its act together as quickly as possible", an MP said.

Kettering General Hospital (KGH) in Northamptonshire has been warned by the care regulator about its children's and young people's services.

Philip Hollobone, MP for Kettering, said: "The situation is clearly not acceptable."

The trust's chief executive apologised to those who felt let down.

In December the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspected the paediatric assessment unit, Skylark ward, and the neonatal unit after hearing concerns of safety and rated the service inadequate, the lowest possible.

Inspectors' concerns included sepsis treatment, staff numbers, dirt levels and not having an "open culture" where concerns can be raised without fear.

Conservative Mr Hollobone said: "Serious concerns have been expressed by local parents and rightly so.

"I'm pleased that the Care Quality Commission has intervened in this way.

"I would encourage them to revisit the hospital sooner rather than later to ensure that all the improvements, that they are insisting upon, have been introduced."

He added it was "always distressing to hear that our local hospital is not performing to the standards that local families rightly expect".

Mr Hollobone said he did "have faith in the hospital management".

But added: "The hospital has fallen short on this occasion which is a concern to many local families. The hospital needs to get its act together as quickly as possible."

The trust's chief executive, Deborah Needham, said the hospital "accept the findings of [the] CQC report".

She said: "I would like to sincerely apologise to any families who feel they have been let down by our services.

"Immediately after the CQC's inspection in December we launched a comprehensive improvement programme to look at the issues raised and decide how we can resolve them."

The hospital said it had increased staff training around sepsis, given "additional focus" to identifying deterioration and recruited more staff, including a new head of nursing.

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