Hospital abuse claims: staff arrests and NMC referrals
Posted 18 February 2026 - 16:10
A whistleblower claimed he had seen senior nurses goading a service user. The mental health hospital says it has put an urgent action plan in place
Several nursing staff at a mental health hospital have been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as police investigate serious allegations of abuse and neglect.
Fifteen staff were arrested in connection with claims dating back to October 2024. Ten people remain on bail and five have been released with no further action taken against them.
Mental health hospital worker’s ‘massive’ safeguarding concerns
A former staff member at St Andrew’s Healthcare in Northampton told a BBC investigation about ‘massive’ safeguarding concerns.
The BBC reports that Jamie (real name withheld) claimed he had seen senior nurses ‘goading’ a service user, and that on a separate occasion, he said he had been locked in a room with a violent individual while a nurse refused to open the door for him.
Jamie is reported to have spoken of staff not restraining patients correctly and distressed screams of patients confined to bed being ignored.
St Andrew’s Healthcare, the charity that runs the hospital for people with complex mental health needs, said it reported the cases to police and had begun its own investigations.
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‘We take a zero-tolerance approach to any allegation of harm or poor practice’
St Andrew’s Healthcare spokesperson
St Andrew’s Healthcare staff arrests and police investigations
- Eight were arrested on suspicion of wilful neglect and ill treatment by a care worker in relation to allegations of assault made in July 2025; all eight remain on bail
- Five people were arrested on suspicion of corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter following a man’s death in February 2025. Four were released with no further action. One person remains on bail in relation to an allegation of wilful neglect
- A woman was arrested on suspicion of assault, ill treatment and wilful neglect in connection with an alleged assault in June 2025. She was released on bail pending further enquiries
- A corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter investigation took place following the death of a teenage girl in October 2024. No further action will be taken in relation to her death, and an individual arrested was released
Nursing staff suspensions, dismissals and NMC referrals
‘All staff involved were immediately suspended. Several have since been dismissed following our internal investigation and disciplinary process. We have referred several to the NMC,’ a St Andrew’s Healthcare spokesperson said.
‘We are committed to full transparency and take a zero-tolerance approach to any allegation of harm or poor practice.’
The organisation said it has put an urgent action plan in place, which includes increasing nurse staffing ratios, strengthening leadership in nursing and clinical services, further training for all front-line staff, and reducing agency staffing to ‘near zero’.
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Restrictive practice
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