Classification: Official

To:

• Integrated care board (ICB):
  • 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

St Andrews Healthcare

Following the letter shared on 9 March in relation to St Andrew’s Healthcare Northampton, we would like to thank NHS colleagues for their work, including with system partners, to find suitable alternative placements.

This letter is to:

• Provide an update on the current situation and the approach that NHS England will be taking to safely move patients
• Inform commissioners (including lead providers of specialised provider collaboratives) of the need to move certain named patients by the end of June 2026 and have plans in place by then for remaining patients.

The decision to move patients has been clinically led and based upon serious safety concerns. We need the NHS to work together, at pace, to safely move patients out of St Andrews Northampton. We are now asking commissioners to ensure that the majority of patients in the cohorts described below are moved from the site by the end of June 2026.

In making decisions about where to move patients to and when, there are a range of safety and quality factors which commissioners need to consider and weigh up. A template letter that can be used when communicating with patients and an Easy Read version can be obtained from england.nationaloperationscentre@nhs.net.

While placements are being sought, patients will remain at the St Andrews Northampton site. The improvement support and enhanced safety monitoring put in place by NHS England will continue.

Alongside this, work has been undertaken and will continue to determine capacity, including availability of appropriate placements that meet clinically assessed patient needs to ensure safe transfer.

Priority Cohorts for Quarter 1

In light of the patient safety concerns, wherever possible, we are asking commissioners to progress onward moves for patients in the priority cohorts by the end of June 2026. This process will include the following groups of patients:

1. Patients in an adult forensic bed who do not originate from the Midlands or are in nationally commissioned services
2. Patients in a non-specialised commissioning bed
3. Patients in any bed who originate from the Midlands who have been identified as clinically-ready for discharge (CRFD).

Commissioners should work with NHS England and St Andrews at pace to support the discharge and/or transfer of these patients by the end June 2026. A list of the adult secure patients for each organisation has been emailed to commissioners separately from NHS England’s Specialised Mental Health team. ICBs are already sighted on the patients within their commissioning responsibility.

With thanks and best wishes.

Dr Nick Broughton FRCPsych
National Priority Programme Director
Mental Health, Learning Disability and Neurodevelopmental Conditions
NHS England/Department of Health and Social Care

england.mhldncddirector@nhs.net  

Annexe – key information

1. All commissioners with patients in the Priority Cohorts for Q1 are expected to ensure they have an updated expected transfer date before June 2026.
2. For any non-Midlands adult secure patients who are not CRFD, commissioners are expected to arrange a review of the person’s needs (with the person, family, carer, advocacy etc) to determine their transfer plans.
3. Commissioners wishing to visit the service, or arrange assessments for patients must arrange a suitable timeslot through the following email address StrategicPartnerships@stah.org. The team are coordinating ward visits with the local ward teams. Commissioners must not turn up to wards unannounced as they will be turned away if they do not have a prior booked slot.  This ensures any visits are done without compromising safety for patients and staff.
4. There are some patients that have more complex needs that would require more detailed clinical assessment and planning. This would include patients who may not yet have a clear discharge or transition plan, may not yet be ready to leave hospital, have multiple complex clinical and support needs. Commissioners will need to continue working at pace with NHS England and St Andrews to either make detailed arrangements to meet patient needs elsewhere in the service or to create suitable placements to meet the patient needs.
5. Template letters for patients and carers including Easy Read versions can be obtained from england.nationaloperationscentre@nhs.net