Funeral director says Kettering General Hospital mortuary closure not ‘morally justifiable’ with loved ones being left with ‘no dignity’

Kettering General Hospital (KGH) has confirmed all mortuary services will be moved to a centralised £9.4m ‘state-of-the-art’ facility in Northampton after a consultation.

Currently when a person dies at either KGH or Northampton General Hospital (NGH), their body is stored inhouse.

From the autumn, bodies will be transported in private ambulance vans down the A43 – a 14-mile trip – to the new hub leaving requiring funeral directors to collect deceased loved ones.

Tim Jones, director of Averil Phillips and Family funeral directors, said: “This is such a one-sided blinkered view of what they are trying to achieve. They are disregarding north Northants and other areas like Market Harborough in this decision.

"Has anyone who made the decision driven from Kettering to Northampton? That’s up to 45 minutes away from families in North Northamptonshire.

“It just doesn’t seem to be a morally justifiable process. If your mum passes away in Kettering, you know where she is, you don’t want her going in the back of a van with three other people to a mortuary 10 miles away, where she’ll be until you can bring her back. A vital service in our community is being quietly taken away.”

The decision has been made by the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN) Group that runs KGH and NGH.

UHN’s director of strategy, Polly Grimmett, said: “A growing need for an appropriate mortuary facilities in Northamptonshire was highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic and West Northamptonshire Council is commissioning a £9.4m state-of-the-art County Mortuary at Riverside in Northampton to open this autumn.

“While this facility was commissioned for coronial cases – individuals that require a postmortem – it also has the capacity to take all non-coronial deceased for both Kettering and Northampton General Hospitals.

“In March the UHN Trust Board decided that it would relocate both the KGH and NGH mortuaries to the new Riverside facility from the autumn.”

The trust has said both Kettering and Northampton general hospitals’ mortuaries have had ‘very significant space issues’. For the past five years KGH has not offered families viewing facilities which has been ‘upsetting’ for families – NGH only restarted viewings in 2024.

UHN’s group chief nurse Julie Hogg said: “Our priority for the mortuary services for the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire is to ensure dignified care for the deceased, compassionate support for bereaved families, and appropriate use of resources.

“The new county mortuary to open in the autumn will have good road links, free car parking, public transport links, and excellent private viewing and identification facilities. It will provide an appropriate, respectful, and compassionate experience for bereaved families.”

Mr Jones has said that the move of coronial cases would have freed up capacity in KGH allowing the current system to continue.

He said: “For grieving families, knowing their loved one is close brings huge comfort. Taking that away isn’t just a logistical issue, it’s an emotional one. And it doesn’t make sense environmentally or financially either.

“There was no public consultation, no clear communication, and there are a lot of questions without answers. Who have they consulted?

“We stand with the incredible mortuary team at KGH, which has served this community with professionalism and compassion for years."

A spokesman for UHN Trust: “The trust understands this has been up upsetting for families and the new facility will address this issue.

“The trust is working with the UHN mortuary staff involved and other stakeholders to ensure there is a smooth transition to the new facility.”

A joint statement issued by north Northants’ MPs Rosie Wrighting (Kettering), Lee Barron (Corby and East Northants) and Gen Kitchen (Wellingborough) said: “Since being made aware of this planned closure for the first time last week we have been seeking clarity on how it will impact people in North Northamptonshire.

“Viewing facilities have not been available since before Covid, so we are pleased that this is being addressed and that there will be improved facilities for bereaved families and staff.

“However, we understand the concerns of local people and it is important that they are listened to. Anyone with concerns can contact us so we can work with the hospital and West Northamptonshire Council to address these."