Public 'left in dark' over failing hospital

The public is being left in the dark about the transfer of hundreds of patients from a failing mental health hospital, a councillor has claimed.

It is now six weeks since NHS commissioners were told to find alternative placements for 287 inpatients at St Andrew's Healthcare in Northampton over safety concerns.

But Sally Keeble, opposition Labour group leader at West Northamptonshire Council, said too little information about the move was being released.

The BBC has asked NHS England about the timetable and progress of the patient transfer but has not yet received a response.

Keeble, a former Northampton North MP, called for "full information" on the process.

"These vulnerable mental health patients are being failed again by health services," she said.

"The care they received at St Andrew's was so unsafe the NHS ordered their removal. One month on, it seems that almost all of them are still there."

Keeble said she had also asked NHS England for the number of patients removed so far, and which health bodies they came under.

The BBC can also reveal that mental health charity Mind met Health Secretary Wes Streeting earlier this month to discuss its concerns over the future of St Andrew's patients.

Tom Pollard, head of policy and influencing at the charity, said Streeting had "reassured us that the department is taking the situation at St Andrew's very seriously".

He added: "We do, however, remain concerned about wider systemic issues driving failings in inpatient care and we raised this with him."

In December, enforcement action was taken against the hospital.

A report by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) described how its inspectors saw CCTV footage of staff at St Andrew's kicking and hitting a patient during a restraint as colleagues watched.

A follow-up CQC report in March confirmed the provider had not made enough improvements and that it remained rated as "inadequate".

Last month, NHS England wrote to health bosses around the country, asking them to find alternative arrangements for their patients being treated at the hospital.

St Andrew's Healthcare, a charity, said it was "working through the implications for staff and our patients".

The BBC also revealed how 15 staff members had been arrested since October 2024 following allegations of rape, ill-treatment and neglect.

Ten people remain under suspicion and have been bailed or released pending inquiries.

St Andrew's patients come from across England, with a number also from Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

But their home locations and the identity of the commissioning bodies now having to make alternative arrangements are mostly unknown.

A recent report by the Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) revealed that it had 46 patients placed there, alongside 26 from Leicestershire.

St Andrew's Healthcare referred the BBC's inquiries to NHS England.

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