Volunteers from Healthwatch North and West Northamptonshire visited the Kettering General Hospital (KGH) Accident and Emergency (A&E) department and the Northampton General Hospital A&E department unannounced using their statutory power to conduct Enter and View visits on 31st January 2023.
The hospitals were informed prior to the visits that they would be taking place and by whom but did not know the date or time of the visit before it happened.
The volunteers spoke to patients at both hospitals about their experiences of the service, from the parking and waiting times, to the care they were provided.
The reports, written by our volunteers, are a snapshot of each hospital’s A&E department on the day, along with the team’s recommendations to improve the patient experience locally. It is not a comment on the situation nationally, Government policy or the need for additional resources in Emergency Departments across the country.