New Kettering MP 'desperate to get hospital area deserves' after eye-opening visit

The Labour politician, who defeated Conservative Philip Hollobone to become Kettering’s Westminster representative at last week’s general election, was back in the constituency today (Friday) after a whirlwind first week in Parliament.

She visited areas of the ageing Rothwell Road estate where parts are more than 100-years-old and assessed plans for its redevelopment, which will see a brand new urgent care hub with A&E departments and new wards.

Ms Wrighting said: “I am desperate to get the hospital that I feel the people of Kettering deserve, that I feel the staff here would work efficiently in, and what I’m looking for now is to look forward at what I can do and how I can deliver the change.

"I have seen the underfunding and the mismanagement of the project with my own eyes this morning but now I am completely focused on how we can help going forward.”

The redevelopment of KGH was pledged by the last Conservative Government with a plan for work to be completed by 2030.

It had been hoped that work on a new energy centre – replacing its creaking electrical and hot water systems and temporary steam boiler plant – would start in December 2023 but spades are now expected to be in the ground later this year.

The rebuild, which will cost about £620m (with about £500m already pledged), will see a new urgent care hub built with new A&E departments for children and adults, new assessment areas and six new wards in phase one.

Phase two would then see the hospital move into the urgent care hub and demolish the old A&E department and some of the other older buildings to create a new front entrance to the hospital complete with new imaging, wards and operating theatres.

This morning Ms Wrighting spoke to staff – who she said are ‘brilliant’ – and patients so she could understand their concerns and issues involving working at the hospital.

Its emergency department currently sees more that 290 patients each day despite only being designed to see about 100 per day when it opened in 1993.

Ms Wrighting said: “It really has been quite an eye-opener, from seeing the empty maternity floor with RAAC in it but also to see the steam boilers outside in the car park as well.

"These are things that I wanted to see with my own eyes and discuss with the management team how I, as their MP, can support them in getting the redevelopment of Kettering General Hospital done.”

The visit came after a busy week since Ms Wrighting was declared as Kettering’s new MP.

When she was inducted at the House of Commons on Sunday it was the first time she had ever been to the building.

Ms Wrighting said she’s still not sure that her win has fully sunk in.

She added: “Swearing in was the moment that it hit me, if it has hit me yet as I don’t know if it fully has. When I met the Speaker he gave me an envelope and it said Kettering on it.

"As much as it’s absolutely brilliant to be a Member of Parliament, to be a Member of Parliament and have someone give you a letter which has your home town on the front of it was something that hit me.

"Not only am I proud to be there but I am so proud to be there and represent the town and the constituency that I was raised in.”