Northampton's Workbridge support centre for residents with complex mental needs to close down after 40 years

St Andrew’s Healthcare has announced that its long-running Workbridge service on Bedford Road will close later this year.

Workbridge was established more than 40 years ago to provide vocational opportunities for people with mental illness, learning disabilities, autism, or brain injury. The site includes a café, garden centre, charity shop, workshop, retail units and education services.

In a statement issued today (Thursday), St Andrew’s Healthcare said: “We have taken the difficult decision to close Workbridge. This is part of a broader plan to ensure St Andrew’s Healthcare remains financially sustainable and focused on delivering specialist care for patients with complex mental health needs.

"Unfortunately, Workbridge continues to make a financial loss. Despite best efforts, it has not been possible to secure its long-term future and St Andrew’s Healthcare has sadly concluded that closure is the only viable option. This will enable the charity to focus resources on delivering specialist hospital care for patients with complex mental health needs.

“St Andrew’s patients will continue to have access to creative, educational, and work-related activities at its Northampton hospital site.”

The statement added: “Workbridge’s retail operations will remain open until 23 December. Workbridge’s education service will continue until its existing contracts are fulfilled and it will support its community learners.”

The closure announcement comes after St Andrew’s Healthcare was recently rated as “inadequate” by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Inspectors found that the charity had failed to make sufficient improvements following a previous inspection. The hospital is now in special measures and under close review.

Inspectors identified 22 breaches of regulations relating to patient care, safety, and staffing. Some areas, including forensic and older adult wards, were downgraded, while acute wards for adults of working age and brain injury services showed improvement.

In response to the CQC report, a spokesperson for St Andrew’s Healthcare said: “We acknowledge that we have not consistently delivered high-quality care to our patients and we accept the conclusions of the CQC report following an inspection six months ago.

“We have developed a comprehensive action plan with the CQC to urgently address the issues raised. This includes strengthening our processes, enhancing staff training, and improving leadership. In addition, we are reviewing our range of services to ensure we remain focused on our specialist area of complex mental health.”

The CQC’s deputy director of operations for Northamptonshire, Craig Howarth, said the findings were “unacceptable” and called for urgent improvements across the charity’s services.