NHS England issued the removal order because it still lacks adequate assurance that patient safety is improving at the necessary rate, with concerns about patient safety remaining, according to the health authority. The decision was carefully considered alongside wider ongoing work at St Andrew’s to improve patient safety and rectify unacceptable issues identified at the Northampton site, NHS England added. St Andrew's Healthcare is a registered charity providing inpatient mental health services across four hospitals in Northampton, Birmingham, and Essex, according to major media reports. The removal order does not apply to St Andrew's Healthcare's Birmingham and Essex hospitals, though NHS England is monitoring them, multiple reports indicate.
St Andrew's Healthcare has faced multiple police investigations into allegations of abuse, rape, and patient deaths, according to major media sources. A corporate manslaughter probe was launched following a teenager's death in October 2024 but has since been dropped, major media reports state. Following a second patient death in February 2025, Northamptonshire Police arrested five people for corporate manslaughter and alleged wilful neglect; four were released with no further action, and one remains on bail for alleged wilful neglect, according to major media.
We still do not have adequate assurance that patient safety is improving at the 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.
In July 2025, eight care workers were arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect and ill treatment and have been released on bail, major media reports. A restriction was placed on new admissions to St Andrew's Hospital after a Care Quality Commission inspection in July 2025, according to major media. Since October 2024, 15 staff members have been arrested following allegations of rape, ill-treatment, and neglect, major media reports. Of the 15 people arrested, 10 are still under investigation, and five will face no further action, according to major media.
Patients, relatives, and whistleblowers have described a culture of abuse at the unit, multiple reports indicate. There have been allegations of inappropriate restraint techniques being used on vulnerable patients, with some sustaining injuries, according to major media.
This decision has been carefully considered alongside the wider ongoing work at St Andrew’s to improve patient safety and rectify unacceptable issues identified at the Northampton site.
Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership is working to relocate two Aberdeen patients from St Andrew's, major media reports. Jordan Jones, a 36-year-old man with brain injuries, has been at St Andrew's Healthcare in Northampton for rehabilitation since 2020, according to major media. Jordan Jones's care at St Andrew's is understood to cost Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership hundreds of thousands of pounds a year, major media reports. Jordan Jones's mother, Caroline Munro, has expressed a desire for him to return home to Aberdeen, stating that he has been through enough and needs to be fought for, according to BBC News - UK.
St Andrew's Healthcare said patient wellbeing was its priority, according to major media. The specific patient safety issues or incidents that triggered the removal order from NHS England have not been disclosed. It remains unclear how many patients have been harmed or died due to alleged abuse or neglect at St Andrew's Healthcare, and the timeline for relocating the 287 patients and where they will be moved to is not yet known. What actions St Andrew's Healthcare is taking to address the safety concerns and police investigations, and how many other patients, like Jordan Jones, are from outside England and face relocation challenges, are also unknown.
We didn't know if he was going to survive, but Jordan being Jordan he pulled himself right through it.
Jordan has been left with a catastrophic brain injury, he has been left non-vocal.
I just want him home where he belongs. Ideally, I would like him home to Aberdeen.
He's been put through enough. You can't crumble, you need to fight for him.