Fifteen members of employees at psychological well being hospital are arrested over claims of rape, unwell remedy and neglect
Fifteen employees at a mental health hospital have been arrested after allegations of rape, ill treatment and neglect.
Bosses at the St Andrew’s Healthcare hospital in Northampton have promised action after alarmed whistleblowers and families spoke about a ‘culture of abuse’.
Three police probes have been set up involving the charity-operated private hospital that provides specialist care for about 600 patients with complex mental health requirements.
These come after a number of reported assaults and two patients’ deaths, it has been revealed.
The Care Quality Commission watchdog last year rated the hospital as ‘inadequate’, with new admissions being restricted.
St Andrew’s Healthcare says some members of staff have been dismissed and training has been improved.
The organisation insisted it was committed to ‘full transparency’ and would pursue a ‘zero tolerance approach to any allegation of harm or poor practice’.
Northamptonshire Police said it had arrested 15 people in connection with alleged incidents at the hospital since October 2024.
Fifteen employees at St Andrew’s Healthcare mental health hospital (pictured) in Northampton have been arrested following claims of rape, ill treatment and neglect
Ten of these remain under suspicion, bailed or released pending further inquiries.
Eight of the suspects were held on suspicion of wilful neglect and ill treatment relating to an alleged assault on a man with a brain injury last July.
One person was held on suspicion of rape. Five were arrested on suspicion of corporate manslaughter and gross manslaughter after a man died in February 2025.
Four of those do not face any further action – one person remains on bail for the offence of wilful neglect by a care worker.
A woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and ill treatment or wilful neglect, regarding an incident on June 29 last year, and remains on bail.
One person was held in relation to suspected gross negligence manslaughter after a teenage girl died in October 2024, but police said there would be no further action.
Among the worried parents of patients is Anne, not her real name, who told the BBC of being horrified by her daughter’s treatment at St Andrew’s.
She said of employees there: ‘They were restraining her with four adults and on one occasion she was knelt on by a male member of staff.
‘She was waking up every night for months and was obviously in a severe amount of pain with her ribs.’
Anne also described her daughter showing ‘all the symptoms of being malnourished’ and having ‘lost half her body weight’ as well as the use of her hand, while also twice suffering ‘severe burns from coffee’.
The mother added: ‘It’s traumatic – something’s got to change and the only way things can change is by people now speaking out.’
Also going public with concerns have been former members of staff there, including Jamie – whose name was also changed – who told of ‘massive safeguarding issues’.
He told the BBC he had ‘seen senior nurses goading a patient’ as well as a patient with ‘horrendous injuries’ through self-injury when staff were withdrawn.
And he alleged bed-bound patients were ignored while screaming in distress, while others were handled roughly.
He added: ‘When you do restraints, you’re supposed to do them in a certain way, and some patients were getting pulled to the floor by their arms – that’s not restraint.’
Another employee, wanting to stay anonymous, told the corporation of feeling ‘ashamed’ to work at St Andrew’s Healthcare, adding: ‘It is so sad, some staff trusted to work with patients have acted so terribly.
‘Not all staff are bad, but the organisation needs to take action to make sure patients are protected.’
The organisation, which had an income of nearly £220million in the year to March 2024, said it reported cases to Northamptonshire Police and began internal investigations.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, a spokesperson for St Andrew’s Healthcare said: ‘As a charity, we are committed to full transparency and take a zero-tolerance approach to any allegation of harm or poor practice. We immediately reported these cases to the police for investigation.
‘Following their own independent investigation, the police concluded that no further action was required in one case and closed it. The remaining cases are ongoing.
‘Patient safety is our highest priority, and we have an urgent action plan to strengthen the quality of care we provide.
‘We acknowledge that care at our Northampton hospital hasn’t always met the standards every patient deserves, and we are sorry to those affected.’
They said the new plan included new training for all frontline staff, reducing agency staffing to ‘near zero’, increasing nursing levels per patient and installing CCTV on most wards.
St Andrew’s Healthcare also vowed it would be ‘strengthening leadership in nursing and clinical services’ and ‘building an open culture where staff feel safe to speak up’.
