Another damning health watchdog report released about troubled Northampton mental health hospital days after patients told they will be moved

St Andrew’s Hospital was inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in October and November last year, with a detailed report published on Friday March 13, 2026.

The inspection was carried out to follow up on concerns identified at previous inspections, but inspectors still found 14 breaches of regulation and also viewed CCTV footage of “inappropriate restraints” and “assaults by staff towards people in the service”.

St Andrew’s has apologised and said it has made “significant changes across every ward” since the inspection.

The report comes just days after NHS England announced that the 287 inpatients at the hospital would be moved off the site due to growing safety concerns and “unacceptable issues”.

The healthcare provider has been in a problematic period, including staff being at the centre of multiple police investigations. A 45-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and ill treatment/wilful neglect, following an incident at the hospital in June 2025. Eight members of staff were also arrested following a report of an assault in July last year. One member of staff was arrested on suspicion of rape, according to Northamptonshire Police. All remain on police bail.

Following the inspection in October and November last year, the CQC has again rated forensic inpatient or secure wards as inadequate. It has upgraded the rating for wards for older people with mental health problems from inadequate to requires improvement and has again rated services for people with acquired brain injury as requires improvement.

The 14 breaches of regulation relate to person centred care, safe care and treatment, safeguarding, dignity and respect, good governance and staffing, and the service has been told to submit an updated action plan showing what “immediate and widespread action it is taking in response to these concerns”.

Ceri Morris-Williams, CQC deputy director of mental health in the midlands, said: “While St Andrew’s had made some improvements in their forensic services including in incident reporting and safeguarding training, we found there were still deeply concerning issues in areas including staffing, communication and risk management which were putting people at risk of unsafe care.

“The ward culture of openness and safety was inconsistent, and allegations of abuse by staff still remained the highest proportion of safeguarding incidents. Inspectors reviewed CCTV footage and were concerned about an inappropriate restraint and assaults by staff towards people in the service.

“People told us there weren’t enough staff on these wards, and this had resulted in pre-planned leave and activities being cancelled. This had also resulted in some people feeling ignored by staff. This was echoed in what staff told us about not feeling like they had enough time to spend with people. However, some people had more positive experiences. They described pleasant interactions with staff and were appreciative of the challenges they faced.

“In services for people with acquired brain injury, we found repeated incidents of unexplained injuries, prolonged restraints and gaps in documentation. Without clarity on what had happened or how people had been affected, the service couldn’t identify learning opportunities to help improve the service and stop these happening again.

“However, staff supported people to have choice and control in their care where possible and held regular community meetings. Staff also helped people maintain relationships that mattered to them by facilitating visits, telephone calls and virtual meetings.

“While visiting wards for older people with mental health problems, St Andrew’s made us aware they had plans to close this service, which happened in November.

“We have told leaders at St Andrew’s where further improvements are needed to keep people safe.”

Inspectors also found that leaders had not taken preventative measures to avoid incidents happening again on forensic inpatient and secure wards and that staff did not always safeguard people from abuse and improper treatment on the acquired brain injury ward.

Six cases of staff asleep during enhanced observations on the forensic inpatient and secure wards were also found by inspectors.

Employees and leaders also raised concerns about staffing levels and staff raised concerns about leadership visibility.

On the acquired brain injury ward, many people using the service were positive about their care, according to inspectors who also said some staff were positive about working at the hospital and felt supported by their managers.

Inspectors added that St Andrew’s had commissioned an independent review into the culture of the hospital to identify where improvements could be made and carried out safety interviews with all patients receiving care at the site.

A spokesperson for St Andrew’s said: “We accept the CQC’s conclusions and are sorry that care at our Northampton hospital has not always met the high standards patients deserve.

“Since the inspection four months ago, we have made significant changes across every ward.

“Following NHS England’s decision to seek alternative placements for patients, we will continue to drive improvements so that, for the time they are with us, patients receive safe and compassionate care.”

The overall rating for St Andrew’s remains inadequate and in special measures to protect people.

The CQC also says it is in contact with NHS England and St Andrew’s to ensure patients have a “safe transition to alternative accommodation”.

The full report will be published on the CQC website in the coming days.