Police have launched criminal investigations into alleged assaults and deaths of patients at a specialist mental health hospital in Northampton.
The BBC revealed 15 members of staff at St Andrew’s Healthcare have been arrested after patients, relatives, and whistleblowers described a ‘culture of abuse’ at the hospital, which provides specialist care for 600 people with complex mental health needs.
The incidents are believed to include allegations of rape, ill treatment, and neglect.
The charity that runs the private hospital said it had dismissed several staff members and was delivering an urgent action plan to address the issues.
In a statement following the publication of the BBC article, Dr Vivienne McVey, chief executive of St Andrew’s Healthcare, said: “Every day, staff across our hospitals dedicate themselves to supporting some of the most-vulnerable people in our society. And, every day, we see signs of hope as our patients take steps towards living better, more-fulfilling lives.
“But we haven’t always got this right.
“We have not delivered a consistently-high standard of care for all patients at our Northampton hospital, and we are sorry.
“As a charity, we are committed to transparency and take a zero‑tolerance approach to any allegation of harm or poor practice.
“When standards have fallen short, we have reported ourselves to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and referred allegations of poor care to the police, which is currently reviewing cases from 2024 and last year.”
The news comes after regulator, The Care Quality Commission (CQC), rated the hospital as ‘inadequate’ last year and imposed an urgent condition on its registration, with new admissions restricted.
And, as part of its investigation, Northamptonshire Police said 15 people had been arrested over incidents at the hospital that have reportedly taken place since October 2024.
Ten people remain under suspicion and have been bailed or released pending inquiries.
Eight people were arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect and ill-treatment in relation to an alleged assault in July 2025 on a man with a brain injury. One person was also arrested on suspicion of rape. All remain on bail.
Five people were also arrested on suspicion of corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a man in February 2025. Four face no further action while one person remains on bail for the offence of wilful neglect by a care worker.
And one woman was arrested on suspicion of assault and ill-treatment or wilful neglect following an incident on 29 June 2025 and remains on bail while another person was arrested in relation to an investigation into gross negligence manslaughter following the death of a teenage girl in October 2024. Police said no further action would be taken.
Dr McVey said: “Accepting where we have fallen short is important, but it is not enough. These issues demand decisive action, and we are making the changes needed to put things right.”
She said action was being taken on three levels.
Dr McVey said: “We are making these changes at pace – and we are already seeing signs of progress: more staff say they feel confident raising concerns; serious incidents have fallen significantly; and patients are telling us they are starting to feel the difference.
“The CQC will soon publish its report following its October inspection of our Northampton hospital. While we hope it will recognise some progress, we also expect it will also highlight that we still have some way to go.
“We accept this and we are not in denial about the scale of change required.
“We know we have fallen short in the past, and we are determined to put things right.
“Our focus is on urgent, sustained improvements to deliver the consistently-high-quality care that our patients deserve.”