Kettering hospital children's ward death campaigners call for public inquiry
Families of children who died or came close to death while being treated at Kettering General Hospital (KGH) have held a candlelit vigil and called for a public inquiry into the facility.
Members of action group Skylark – named after the children’s Skylark ward – have been brought together after their experiences after their children and loved ones were admitted for treatment.
Campaigners have been brought together by mum Louise Longster, whose 13-year-old daughter Chloe died from pneumonia and sepsis in November 2022, one day after being admitted.
An inquest in 2024, determined Chloe could have lived, had there not been a series of missed opportunities while she was being treated at KGH concluded she did suffer ‘neglect’ that contributed to her death.
Standing alongside other parents, Louise said: “Chloe was incredible. She was just full of energy, light and love. What happened to Chloe should never have happened.
“She wasn't an isolated case. There are other children that have been seriously harmed or died prior to Chloe’s admission. We keep seeing the same statements being made about lessons being learned, but to date, as far as I’m aware, nobody has been reprimanded for what happened to Chloe.
“There’s not really been any accountability other than a tokenistic fine from the CQC [Care Quality Commission]. I believe that lessons can only be learned when there is true independent scrutiny as to what has gone wrong over many years in the hospital.
“I would like to see an independent inquiry, because I believe that Kettering General Hospital, the ICB [NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board] and the CQC are able to essentially mark their own homework.
“Had lessons been learned, Chloe wouldn’t have died. You know, there’s a 17 year old girl that died in 2012. Her death should never have happened. It’s unacceptable.”
In 2016, Nicola Stanton’s 23-month-old daughter Jorgie Stanton-Watts died from five medical failures that a coroner ruled was neglect.
Nicola said: “I’d like to say things have changed. They haven’t. There’s still deaths. So nothing’s changed. We want the hospital to be accountable. Change. Get rid of the culture. Get rid of the staff. It’s the same names that are coming up time and time again. It shouldn’t be happening. We all want a public inquiry. We deserve answers for our children.”
Another Corby mum, Michaela Stevens, is also asking for ‘accountability’ – her son Archie’s sepsis was missed and was only picked up thanks to following Nicola’s advice after connecting through a mutual friend.
She said: “It only is thanks to Jorgie that Archie is alive. I remember knocking on the matron’s door and saying to her, you know, really don’t think Archie is very well. And he had sepsis and they hadn’t been doing the checks and it was just a disaster, the whole thing.
“They didn’t have anybody trained to be able to intubate him if, if that needed to happen. There are there is no words for it. We ended up taking Archie to Addenbrooke’s [hospital, Cambridge] in the end.
“I think there just needs to be some accountability. Nobody’s looking for blame. It’s not a singling out certain people. It’s about just making change so that other families don’t have to ever lose anybody or go through that.”
Mum Lynette Stone attended the vigil with her family to speak out on behalf of her 12-year-old son Alfie who died at KGH after he suffered a seizure at home in December 2019.
Describing Alfie as the ‘most amazing human being you could ever have met’, she added her voice to the calls for a public inquiry.
She said: “A public inquiry has got to happen. My message is these children did not need to die.”
MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire Lee Barron joined the families on Friday in Rothwell Road outside KGH at the vigil.
He said: “At the end of the day, the families know that they can’t turn back the clock but what they want is answers, and I think they’re entitled to that. I don’t think they should have to wait for one [a public inquiry]. I think they should get the answers that they’re entitled to now.”
Asked if Skylark Ward was fit for purpose, he added: “That’s not a matter for me to call. I think there were cultural issues in there that needs to be addressed, because it’s been going on for some time, and what we’re saying is we need to know that they’ve been addressed, and that’s why there needs to be that inquiry.
“We’ve met with the senior leadership at Kettering General, they’ve been and gone. There’s some new people in now. So we’ll be writing to ministers to ask them for some intervention, because public inquiries can take time, and we’re going to see if ministers can’t intervene now and get some independent scrutiny, so that we can start to get those answers at the families so desperately deserve.”
In February 2026, KGH was fined £1,250 by the CQC for failures surrounding Chloe’s treatment.
Chief executive officer Adam Carson of Kettering General Hospital promised to listen to families with ‘compassion’ and ‘learn’ from their experiences.
He said: “We are deeply sorry and we know that nothing we say can take away the pain of losing a loved one, or undo the distress that has been caused. We respect the families’ wishes to hold the vigil and remember their loved ones.
“We recognise how important it is for families to be heard and, where they feel able and wish to engage, we will listen to them with compassion and learn from their experiences as we continue to improve our services.”