Northampton General Hospital

On this page

• Overview
• Kindness, compassion and dignity
• Treating people as individuals
• Independence, choice and control
• Responding to people’s immediate needs
• Workforce wellbeing and enablement

We looked for evidence that patients’ care, treatment, and support achieved good outcomes and promoted a good quality of life, based on the best available evidence. We assessed 3 quality statements.

At our last inspection, we rated this key question good. At this inspection, the rating has remained good.

We looked for evidence that people were always treated with kindness, empathy, and compassion. We checked that people’s privacy and dignity were respected and that they understood that they and their experience of how they were treated and supported mattered. We also looked for evidence that every effort was made to take people’s wishes into account and respect their choices, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them.

During the inspection, we found staff were not always alert to patients’ needs and didn’t always take time to observe, communicate, and engage patients in discussions about their immediate needs and patients did not always feel their dignity and confidentiality were maintained. However, staff treated patients with kindness, empathy, and compassion. The service cared about and promoted the well-being of staff.

We have not awarded this service a score for Caring.

Find out about when we will not publish a key question score and what we look at when we assess Caring.

Patients’ privacy and dignity were not always protected. However, staff treated patients with kindness, empathy and compassion.

The temporary escalation spaces and additional beds in bays did not protect patients’ dignity and confidentiality. Beds were placed close together and there were no curtains that could be drawn between patients when personal care or examinations took place, although portable screens were available, conversations could be heard and dignity was not always maintained. At times, patients were being cared for extended periods in the discharge lounge where there were no suitable washing facilities, which did not support patients’ dignity.

Most patients felt assured that information about them was treated confidentially. We observed privacy screens were used to uphold patients’ dignity; however, this did not mitigate patients’ confidentiality as the distance between the beds was an issue for some patients. One patient overheard our conversation with the ward nurse and added “There is no privacy when I speak to the doctors because of the space between the beds”.

Most patients felt staff knew and understood them, including their preferences, personal histories, and backgrounds. A patient we spoke with said staff members spent time asking about their background. When we asked the patients if the staff had been understanding of any preferences they had, they said “I would feel comfortable to ask.” The patients also communicated that the staff respected their privacy and dignity and used curtains when needed.

Patients reported that staff treated them with kindness and compassion in their day-to-day care and support. Most patients expressed that although they may not have an appetite, the staff would still ensure they asked them if they wanted to eat and provided alternative options in line with dietary requirements.

We spoke with a patient who was in an escalation bed in the corridor with their relative accompanying them. The relative said “the staff have been very kind and caring” and “It’s the first time my mother has been on this ward, and they made her feel very welcome.” They had both been offered food and drinks, despite the relative not being a patient.

We did not look at Treating people as individuals during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

We did not look at Independence, choice and control during this assessment. The score for this quality statement is based on the previous rating for Caring.

Staff were not always alert to patients’ needs and did not always take time to observe, communicate, and engage patients in discussions about their immediate needs.

We observed two healthcare assistants attempting to lift a patient from their bed, this patient was visibly frail with a high blood pressure reading. We witnessed one of the healthcare assistants frustratingly ask the nurse who was present for advice “You are the nurse, you tell us if this is the right thing to do, should we be standing him up?” The nurse hesitated and advised they should try again later.

Most patients told us the staff generally responded quickly when they used the call bell. However, one patient told us they had used their call button the previous night and it took up to 30 minutes for staff to attend to them.

Staff did not always recognise when patients required equipment or technology to support them when they were discharged. This impacted patient flow through the hospital and sometimes delayed discharge into the community as equipment had not been ordered in a timely way.

Staff told us patients were normally admitted for a minimum of 2 weeks, as most of them required care provision, including additional equipment once they were discharged back into the community. Some patients in the discharge lounge could be there for 3 days if their equipment had not been ordered.

The service cared about and promoted the well-being of staff to support and enable them to deliver person-centred care.

The staff’s experience of the service was driven by a culture that normalised good well-being through inclusivity, active listening, and open conversations. Several wards participated in Shared Decision Council meetings. The purpose of the meetings was to provide an opportunity for nursing employees to discuss opportunities for ‘process and quality improvement’ in patient care. A staff member shared that there was a nice atmosphere for open conversations and to keep in touch with one another. This forum was a space where they had a sense of belonging and the ability to contribute to decision-making.

Staff reported there was a ‘safe haven well-being space,’ however, this was quite a distance away from the wards, therefore, it was not always possible to use this facility during their break time. Following the inspection, we received information about other initiatives the hospital had taken to support staff rest and recovery. These included staff restaurants being open 24/7 and staff gardens available across the estate.

Leaders and managers told us staff morale was low. In November 2024, the largest percentage of sickness was from the nursing associates and trainees’ group. The most common reason for sickness amongst staff in the trust was ‘anxiety, stress and depression.’ Despite this, nursing associates and trainee groups on several wards reported that they felt valued and supported by their leaders and colleagues. This group reported that if they had struggled at work they had been provided with support.

There was mixed awareness of the support available to staff. The nursing associates and trainees (staff group) reported having limited knowledge of personalised support options available to them outside of line management, for example, they did not always know about the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or reported that although they may be aware of the EAP, they would not know how to readily access it, as it was not promoted by leaders and managers.

However, some staff reported they had access to personalised support that recognised the diversity of the workforce with proactive and reactive measures. One staff member said, “We are female-dominated as pharmacists at Northampton General Hospital” and guidance for pharmaceutical staff returning from maternity leave had been developed due to a rise in maternity absences. Following the introduction of this guidance, a Maternity Working Group was also developed to support staff in the pharmacy teams returning to work from maternity leave. Returning to work had been a pleasant experience for this staff member, with the added benefit of a nursery on site, which they said made an “easier work and life balance.”