NHS England has asked for nearly 300 patients to be moved from a mental health hospital run by St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton due to safety concerns for the patients.
The letter from NHS England, published online noted that the move was needed because:
“we still do not have adequate assurance that patient safety is improving at a rate it needs to and our concerns about patient safety remain; we therefore must act now to ensure patients receive the care and treatment they deserve.”
The charity St Andrew’s Healthcare is a leading independent provider of services in the mental health sector primarily for NHS patients. The organisation’s sites in Birmingham and North Benfleet, Essex, are not currently affected by the decision.
Commissioners now need to find alternative placements for 287 patients receiving inpatient care at the hospital.
Soon after the letter was received Vivienne McVey, who had been in charge of the hospital since 2022, emailed staff saying that she is to retire and ‘let someone else continue the work to transform St Andrews’.
“An independent team of mental health, learning disability and autism clinicians”, has been sent in to the hospital according to the letter from NHS England, and they have started work on the Northampton site “to provide 24/7 enhanced oversight and assurance.”
The hospital was placed in special measures by the CQC in December 2025, which included NHS England asking the provider to review its executive team and provide regular reports on its financial situation. This move comes at the end of many months of issues, however.
In May 2025 a highly critical report was published by the CQC based on an unannounced inspection in November 2024. In July 2025, the CQC took urgent enforcement action of restricting new admissions at St Andrew’s Healthcare Northampton. Then in November 2025, the CQC rated the Northampton site “inadequate”.
The CQC reports contained evidence of widespread assault by staff of patients, which led to the ongoing police investigation. A number of employees have been sacked. In February, the BBC reported that 15 staff members had been arrested since October 2024 following allegations of rape, ill-treatment and neglect.
Finding places for the patients will be difficult. The NHS has a shortage of inpatient mental health beds, following years of inadequate funding. Even with the addition of beds in private hospitals, many of which have also experienced issues, there are still often long waits for inpatient care. Many of the patients are likely to find themselves a long way away from Northampton and their support networks.
Paul Burstow, St Andrews Healthcare’s chair, an ex-Lib Dem minister and ex-integrated care board chair, stepped down in November, and in December Steve Gray, formerly CEO of Nuffield Health, was appointed as interim chair.
In a statement, St Andrew’s said: “We note the letter from NHS England.
“We are working through the implications for staff and our patients.
“We look forward to working with NHS England on a long-term plan to support patients.”
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