MP to meet NHS over future of failing hospital

1 hour ago

Kris HollandNorthamptonshire

Mike Reader says he is working with NHS directors on the future of St Andrew's

BBC Mike Reader has brown hair and a beard wearing a grey suit jacket and white shirt. He has a microphone pinned to his jacket. He is standing outside in front of trees and to the right of him is the slight view of the exterior of a beige building. — Mike Reader says he is working with NHS directors on the future of St Andrew's

An MP says he has arranged to speak to NHS bosses about the future of a failing mental health hospital.

In March NHS England (NHSE) ordered the removal of all 287 inpatients from St Andrew's Healthcare's facility in Northampton over safety concerns.

The provider has remained in talks with NHSE over retaining some capacity at the site and has been approached for comment.

Mike Reader, Labour MP for Northampton South, said he was pushing "for more support for the patients, for the staff and for the hospital".

In a video post on his Facebook page, he added: "I want to make sure I understand the plan for protecting services and making sure we put in long-term support at St Andrew's to keep this institution in Northampton."

NHSE had previously shared a deadline of the end of June for the first group of NHS patients to leave St Andrew's.

St Andrew's Healthcare currently operates two other sites in Birmingham and Essex, which remain unaffected by the NHSE decision.

Talks are continuing to keep some patients and staff at St Andrew's in Northampton

Dawid Wojtowicz Aerial pictures of a large hospital site. There are numerous buildings which are attached or contiguous to one another. The buildings are coloured off-white or a shade of orange-red. There is a car park. To the left of the picture is a busy road. — Talks are continuing to keep some patients and staff at St Andrew's in Northampton

What happened at St Andrew's?

The decision to withdraw patients followed enforcement action taken against the hospital, announced in December.

In its letter, NHSE said "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," it continued.

The letter added that "unacceptable issues" had been identified at the hospital.

A report by health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also described how its inspectors saw CCTV footage of staff at St Andrew's kicking and hitting a patient during a restraint as colleagues watched on.

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