Shaping Better Children’s Care: Our Enter & View at Kettering General Hospital

What is an Enter & View?

An Enter & View is a statutory power held by local Healthwatch organisations. It allows authorised representatives to visit health and care settings—such as hospitals, GP surgeries, and care homes—to observe services, speak with patients, families, and staff, and understand how care is being delivered on the ground.

The purpose isn’t inspection or regulation. Instead, Enter & View visits focus on:

• Listening to real experiences
• Identifying what is working well
• Highlighting areas for improvement
• Feeding back constructive recommendations to support positive change

Ultimately, these visits ensure that the voices of patients, carers, and frontline staff help shape future services.

Our Visit to Paediatric Services at Kettering General Hospital

As part of this work, Healthwatch North Northamptonshire carried out an Enter & View of paediatric services at Kettering General Hospital. This included engagement across several key areas:

• Children’s Emergency Department (CED)
• Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU)
• Skylark Ward
• Outpatients Department
• The Play Team

The review was designed to build a comprehensive picture of how services are experienced by both families and staff, and to identify opportunities for future development.

Our Enter & View Team

The Enter & View of paediatric services at Kettering General Hospital was conducted by:

Yahya Ibn John - Healthwatch North Northamptonshire's Research & Community Engagement Manager
Caroline Prior - Support Northamptonshire's Business Support

What We Heard

The findings paint a strong and encouraging picture of care delivery, while also highlighting important areas for improvement.

At the heart of the service is a dedicated and highly skilled workforce. Staff consistently demonstrated a commitment to providing compassionate, child-centred care—even in the face of operational pressures, limited space, and resource challenges. Teamwork and collaboration were clear strengths, with staff describing a culture of mutual support and problem-solving.

From the perspective of parents and carers, feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Families highlighted:

• The professionalism and kindness of staff
• Clear and reassuring communication
• The attentiveness shown to both children and their caregivers

This alignment between staff intention and patient experience is a strong indicator of quality care.

Key Themes and Opportunities

Alongside these strengths, several important themes emerged that will help shape future improvements.

Training and staff wellbeing were identified as essential to maintaining high standards of care. Supporting staff development and ensuring wellbeing provision will be critical for sustaining the workforce.

Communication and accessibility also emerged as areas where further enhancements could make a meaningful difference to patient experience.

Infrastructure and space constraints were noted as ongoing challenges, reflecting wider pressures across the NHS.

A particularly valuable contribution came from the Play Team, whose work across multiple wards supports children’s emotional wellbeing and helps reduce anxiety. Their role was widely recognised as integral to patient experience, with clear opportunities for further investment in this area.

Looking Ahead

The report sets out a series of practical recommendations focused on:

• Workforce sustainability
• Improving communication
• Developing infrastructure
• Expanding training opportunities
• Strengthening staff wellbeing support

Together, these form a clear and constructive framework for enhancing both patient experience and staff engagement across paediatric services.

This Enter & View demonstrates the power of listening—to families, to staff, and to lived experience. By bringing these voices together, Healthwatch can help ensure that services continue to evolve in ways that truly meet the needs of the community.