Breaking: Failing mental health charity's future at risk as it closes down beloved learning centre

Northampton's St Andrew's Healthcare is at risk of closure, as it announces beloved Workbridge will close

Exclusive by Sarah Ward

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Workbridge which has existed for decades will close.

Longstanding Northampton charity Workbridge is to close affer failing mental health provider St Andrew’s Healthcare has run into severe financial difficulties.

Staff were told of the closure yesterday and users and carers were given the bombshell news at 4pm this afternoon.

They were told by St Andrew’s deputy chief executive Dr Sanjith Kamath who also said the future of St Andrew’s Healthcare, which is the largest mental health charity in the country, is also at risk. The charity cares for hundreds of patients and employs thousands of clinical and healthcare staff.

He said:

“We are like many other charities in the UK in a state of difficult financial stress and it probably will not be an understatement to say we are examining whether St Andrew’s can continue as a charity or not, given the financial pressure.

“Already we have had two rounds of voluntary redundancy. We have had a further round of compulsory redundancy that was announced yesterday and this morning. We are closing down a number of services, including our services for patients with dementia, again another service that has been here for a number of decades. We are closing down our CAMHS service, principally because the NHS wants to cheaply provide those services within the NHS rather than the independent sector.

“Workbridge has always been an organisation that the rest of the chart has been subsidising. This is not to undervalue the huge amount of work, it has been doing. We had a further blow * when the chancellor put up the national insurance for employers and more recently we have had significant quality problems within the hospital.

“Given the parlous state of our finances we can no longer afford to keep Workbridge open.”

He said he knew the announcement would come as a ‘huge shock’ to many.

The news comes after a damning Care Quality Commission report this month that placed St Andrew’s Healthcare in special measures. The charity operates across four sites in Northampton and the report found some services were unsafe, badly led and some wards were unhygienic. Many areas were also under staffed and a number of regulations of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 had been broken.

In July the Care Quality Commission stopped the charity from admitting new patients, meaning it has been struggling to bring in its usual income. Accounts filed with the Charity Commission show the organisation has an annual income of £217m.

Workbridge was founded 40 years ago and was taken over by St Andrew’s Healthcare in 2009. Besides the workshops and learning centre, it also has a cafe. This will also close.

Dr Kamath said the charity had been in touch with West Northamptonshire Council and more talks were needed to see what options were available for service users.

Dr Kamath with Labour minister Liz Kendall and manager Jenny Care at a visit earlier this year. St Andrews Healthcare image.

Workbridge’s manager is Jenny Lane, who told the carers and service users this afternoon that she is considering opening up a service, but it is in its very early stages. A redundancy consultation started with staff yesterday.

People who were sat in the meeting were visibly upset and Jenny Lane also cried as she wound up the meeting.

One woman said her family member did not like to go to any other setting as they were not comfortable. Another said they had been attending the centre for thirty years.

One person said the centre was the only thing that got her son out of bed in the morning.

She said:

“Once you close these doors it is going to be, see you later, get on with it.”

Another asked how often senior management came to Workbridge to see what is going on and there was laughter in the room.

Dr Sanjeth was asked if ‘there was any route to Workbridge continuing to exist’ and he said there was ‘no financial way’ that could happen.

He said:

“We are a provider of services, nort a commissioner of service, and we can’t afford to provide it.”

Leader of the Labour group at West Northamptonshire Council Sally Keeble said the future of St Andrew’s Healthcare is a ‘huge concern’ and had local and national implications.

She said:

“Whilst St Andrews has run into serious problems and what happened was indefensible, there is an urgent need for a solution to be found to protect those services which are up to standard and needed, while the rest of the organisation sorts out its future.”

The charity has been led by chief executive Vivienne McVey since 2022. She has remained in her job despite the failings found by the CQC. The charity’s chair is former Lib Dem care minister Kenneth Burstow, who is also the chair of the Herts and West Essex Integrated Care Board.

St Andrew’s Healthcare has been contacted for comment.