The UHN neonatal teams want to hear from you at their latest listening events for new parents

Parents of children admitted to the neonatal ward at both Gosset ward at Northampton General Hospital (NGH) or Kettering General Hospital (KGH) since the Summer of 2024 are being invited to one of two listening events.

The sessions follows-on from similar successful events held in 2024. These will offer new parents from across the county the opportunity to share their experiences and offer feedback on the care provided.

The session for the parents of babies from NGH will take place on-line on Thursday, 26 June 2025 between 12.30pm to 2.30pm. Spaces can be booked by emailing ngh-tr.PatientExperience@nhs.net.

The session for the parents of babies from KGH will take place in person on Monday, 23 June at the Kettering Arts Centre between 12pm to 2pm. People can arrive on the day or tell us you’re planning to attend by completing an on-line form.

The neonatal units provide crucial care for preterm or sick newborn babies, who require special, high dependency, or intensive care nursing.

Senior members of both neonatal teams will be present at the listening events including a doctor, matron, and psychologist. They will listen to the feedback and share how they have implemented feedback from previous events. Jane Lafferty, Matron for Neonates will be at the KGH session.

Feedback is greatly encouraged and allows the neonatal teams to continually improve care and parents’ satisfaction. All feedback at the event will be anonymous and will not affect any future treatment or care.

Neonatal Clinical Psychologist, Dr Mel Wiseman said “Our teams on the wards at both hospitals work closely with parents and families to give their babies the best possible start in life, and the quality of the care we provide is our utmost priority.

Our previous listening events helped us understand more about parent's experiences at this often unexpected and vulnerable time in their lives. We have made a lot of meaningful changes as a result, and we want to keep working alongside parents to do more. We are excited to hear from more parents this year.”

The face-to-face session for families who used the neonatal services at Kettering General Hospital will be held at the Kettering Arts Centre.

Interim University Hospitals Northamptonshire (UHN) Head of Patient Experience and Engagement, Chris Johnson said: “It’s important that the face-to-face sessions are held in a place that’s comfortable for families coming along. There’s free parking, refreshments and we welcome families to bring their children with them – we’ll have toys and activities to keep them entertained” 

For the Northampton General Hospital online listening event, please register your interest with the team via email at ngh-tr.PatientExperience@nhs.net or telephone at 01604 544054 or 01604 544135.

For people wanting to attend the Kettering event, you can arrive on the day or tell us you’re planning to attend by completing an on-line form. This helps us know how many people to expect.