Classification: Official

To:

Integrated care board:

• commissioning leads
• mental health leads
• health and justice leads
• mental health, learning disability and autism provider collaboratives

cc:

NHS England regional:

• directors of commissioning
• mental health leads
• health and justice leads

Dear colleagues,

St Andrew’s Healthcare

We are writing to notify you that NHS England has taken the decision that all NHS commissioners should start identifying alternative placements for their patients receiving inpatient services at the St Andrew’s Northampton site.

This follows on from enforcement action announced in December, however 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. 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.  

It is important to note that St Andrew’s sites in Birmingham and North Benfleet, Essex are not currently affected by this decision; although our current oversight and assurance of patient safety at both sites will continue.

We recognise the anxiety this will cause for everyone involved, and will do everything in our power to ensure this handover is managed safely, sensitively and efficiently for all patients and families. We anticipate that moving patients will take place in phases, based on individual care needs.

We are determined to tackle poor care and patient safety which is our priority. An independent team of mental health, learning disability and autism clinicians from NHS England has started work on the Northampton site to provide 24/7 enhanced oversight and assurance.

Next steps and what this means for patients

• There are currently 287 inpatients at St Andrew’s Northampton who will be impacted. NHS England will work through each patient’s requirements to understand individual care needs and the appropriate next steps and to ensure they are receiving the appropriate care as quickly and safely as possible.
• To support this, NHS England will:
  • work with placing commissioners to ensure that they are aware and involved with discussions relating to their patients. NHS England will be providing further information to support communications with patients and their families
  • work with provider networks to find appropriate alternative placements for patients. This work will also involve ensuring the wider pressure this creates in the system, in particular on mental health flow, is mitigated and we will be working closely with providers to support on this
  • continue to support St Andrew’s to ensure the immediate safety and the safe transition of patients from the Northampton site as well as supporting the ongoing care of patients at the Birmingham and South Benfleet sites. Those patients at St Andrew’s who are clinically ready for discharge will be referred on to the next stage of their care with the correct support in place

These actions will require close working across the NHS. As we take these next steps, we ask for your support, leadership and engagement to ensure patients’ care can continue to be provided for in the most appropriate setting. To do this, we will be engaging with NHS-led mental health, learning disability and autism provider collaboratives, integrated care boards and different networks of commissioners and independent sector providers to find safe and suitable placements that are right for individual patients.

If you have any questions relating to your patients placed at these sites, please do continue to link through your existing case management routes.

NHS England has put in place a transition oversight structure, which includes expertise from a number of areas, which will act as the point of coordination for this work through the National Operations Centre; should you have any queries relating to this issue, please contact your NHS England Regional Operations Centre. 

Yours sincerely,

Dr Jessica Sokolov, Regional Medical Director, NHS England Midlands


Matthew Day FFPH, Director, Clinical Commissioning, National Specialised Commissioning
NHS England


Publication reference: PRN02416