Changes to Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals emergency Ear, Nose and Throat service

From 14^th July Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals are changing the way we deliver emergency Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) care for our patients. The service change is the first programme of collaborative work between our two hospitals since they became the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Group on July 1, 2021.

The change means that any patients who need to come into hospital via an ambulance for an ENT related emergency will be taken to Northampton General Hospital (NGH) if a specialist review and inpatient care is required.

An ENT emergency that could need inpatient care could include severe nose bleeds, difficulty in eating and breathing, ear pain and discharge, and foreign bodies in the ear, nose or throat.

The new arrangements mean:

• All ambulance call outs to patients with ENT emergencies will go to Northampton General Hospital
• Only where life is at imminent risk will 999 crews take patients to the nearest acute hospital
• Out-of-hours GPs and NHS 111 will refer patients directly to Northampton General Hospital as this will where the on-call team will be based out of hours
• Any patients who attend Kettering General Hospital and require an inpatient admission will be transferred directly to the Northampton General Hospital Head and Neck Ward rather than being directed through A&E.

Outpatients and elective inpatient ENT services at the two hospitals will remain unchanged.

Benefits for patients

• All patients who require an ENT admission will be transferred to a specialist ward and be treated by a dedicated team at Northampton General Hospital. This will speed up appropriate emergency treatment and provide a seamless service and continuity of care.
• It is anticipated about 300 emergency ENT patients per year from the Kettering General Hospital area will benefit from the new arrangement.