Our urgent and emergency care services are more than just our accident and emergency services – they are all the services that support people in our community when they are very ill or in need of care that prevents them becoming ill.
In Northamptonshire we know that older people are spending too much time in hospital when they shouldn’t be – and this can have an adverse effect on their overall health and wellbeing.
As a result too much of our available resources have been allocated to providing reactive care in our urgent and emergency services for people who have already become very ill or who have lost muscle strength, skills and confidence from being in hospital and need extra rehabilitation time. We know this needs to change.
So we are working on
understanding the ways we can change what we are doing to improve care and health outcomes for local people
reviewing the care we provide in our community so it’s easier for people – especially older people – to get the care and support they need closer to home
improving the way our health and care services are provided so people are less likely to need urgent hospital care and, if they do have to go to hospital, the right care and support is readily available to them once they leave
making sure our health and care providers work closely together so our care is joined up and always focuses on the needs of the patient
working together differently so we’re better equipped to cope with the pressures of winter, learning from our collaboration and engaging with people to create future services that are right for our community’s needs.

Urgent and emergency care – latest updates
Spotlight… winter communications
Winter is a time of year when our health and care services come under increased pressure – and demand at our county’s accident and emergency departments is particularly high [...]
Meet Northamptonshire’s brand new Rapid Response team!
Northamptonshire's new Rapid Response team A new service supporting some of our county’s most vulnerable residents has launched this week – and is expected to help us avoid [...]
Ned’s story inspires parents to back flu vaccination campaign
A couple who lost one of their identical twin baby sons to flu are campaigning for people to be vaccinated to prevent such tragedies happening to others. [...]
Government approval for KGH’s £46m Urgent Care Hub
Kettering General Hospital Kettering General Hospital’s bid for a £46m Urgent Care Hub for North Northamptonshire has been approved by the Government. The announcement was made in Parliament [...]
Rapid Response team getting ready for action this winter
A new specialist team is set to launch in Northamptonshire next month providing dedicated urgent care for some of our county’s most vulnerable citizens. The Northamptonshire Rapid Response service [...]