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Work begins on new maternity unit after Raac closure

Alex Pope
Kettering General Hospital Enabling works being carried out on the extension to Kettering General Hospital's maternity unit, showing mud on the ground, green barriers, a building behind it and stone on the ground. Kettering General Hospital
Trees have already been removed along with the diversion of some cables

Work has begun to build a state-of-the-art extension to a maternity unit where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found in its roof three years ago.

Kettering General Hospital said planning permission had been given for the major improvement by North Northamptonshire Council on 26 February.

It said the two-storey extension would then connect to its existing unit, Rockingham Wing, which was partially closed when the crumbling concrete was discovered.

It will include a new 32-bed ward and become the new home for its neonatal intensive care and special care baby units.

Although work has already started, most of the construction will begin over the next few months, the hospital said.

It added that it would "significantly improve the care they deliver each year to about 3,000 families and their babies from our local communities".

Kettering General Hospital An early-stage aerial artist’s impression of what the new building could look like and its location behind Rockingham Wing. It shows a number of buildings, a row of houses, with gardens, with grass areas around the buildings. Kettering General Hospital
An artist's impression of what the new maternity unit will look like

The plans include, on the ground floor, a new special care baby unit (SCBU) and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - and a new bereavement suite.

The first floor will have a 32-bed maternity unit, for mothers before and after they give birth in the delivery suite, which will remain at its current location of Rockingham Wing.

Danni Burnett, interim director of midwifery, said: "The discovery of Raac in the roof of our maternity unit in 2023 caused significant disruption and meant we couldn't use much of the upper floor of our maternity unit.

"The extension will provide a much-improved modern environment for the families we serve offering much larger rooms for our patients, all with en suite facilities.

"The ground floor will be used to rehome our SCBU and NICU and these will be up to the highest quality standards expected of these care environments."

The hospital said it was continuing to work on its plans to the total eradication of Raac from Rockingham Wing.

In January 2025, the government announced up to £1.5bn would be pledged to rebuild the town's hospital.

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