Inspectors will visit Scotland’s three adolescent inpatient mental health facilities following allegations of cruelty at a unit in Glasgow.
Young people treated at Skye House – a 24-bed psychiatric facility on the grounds of Stobhill Hospital – told BBC Disclosure that they had been forcefully restrained and overmedicated by staff who used abusive language during their admissions between 2017 and 2024.
One young woman said she was described as “disgusting” and forced to clean up her own blood after self-harming.
In a statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Maree Todd told ministers that the programme was “shocking” and that the accounts were “appalling and upsetting.”
“What I found so disturbing was the culture depicted”, she said. “The behaviour of some staff fell far below what we expect of health care professionals. Or, in fact, of basic standards of decency and compassion.
STV News“It showed a disregard for patients’ rights from some staff working at the inpatient unit at the time with inappropriate, cruel and stigmatising language used.
“Treatment decisions are difficult but that can never be an excuse for the operational culture that was described.
“I want to speak directly to the young people featured in the documentary.
“My message to them is that their testimonies will result in change for the better.”
The minister for social care, mental wellbeing, and sport said that officials had been in ongoing contact with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGCC) and had been assured that the issues raised had been dealt with in accordance with their complaints procedure.
A quality of care review into Skye House is currently in progress and is due to be completed by March 14, while an external review is also being commissioned.
Todd said she is to meet with the chief executive of NHSGGC on Wednesday, as well as NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside, which operate the country’s two other adolescent inpatient units.
While the minister believes the situation at the unit has “significantly improved,” she added that she will seek further direct reassurance that issues raised in the programme have been addressed and that treatment has improved.
She added: “I’ll be asking about the governance arrangements to make sure this can never happen again.
“I have asked NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission to carry out a series of visits to all three adolescent inpatient units plus the national child inpatient unit as soon as possible.
“The independent perspective is required and the voices of children and young people will be central to these visits.”
Scottish Conservative Central Scotland MSP Meghan Gallacher accused the Scottish Government of having known about issues at the facility “for years”, citing emails sent by a constituent to ministers in 2023.
Gallacher said: “The Scottish Government, they didn’t find out about this through the BBC documentary, they’ve known for years.
“On June 23, 2023, my constituent contacted Scottish Government officials on behalf of her daughter, Harmony.
“On August 12, 2024, [they] contacted the First Minister, health secretary Neil Gray and the minister for children and young people Natalie Don-Innes.
“The email subject: ‘Urgent concerns regarding the care and treatment of our child.’
“On November 25, 2024, she contacted the minister Natalie Don-Innes again after being ignored by (Todd).
“I have no idea how the minister can stand here today and pretend to be shocked, because she had known about this for years.
“The minister says that she finally feels the need to make a statement on the abuse young women endured while being detained at Skye House – only two years late.”
Gallacher questioned why the correspondence from her constituent had not been treated with “utmost seriousness”.
Responding, Todd pointed to the size of ministerial mailbags.
“Scottish ministers, she’ll understand, receive a huge amount of correspondence daily,” Todd told Gallacher.
“When issues are raised regarding a medical setting such as Skye House, the Scottish Government would normally direct correspondence to their health boards because patient care and delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers.”
Following the allegations being made public, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) apologised to patients who “had not received the level of care they expected” at the unit.
The health board noted staffing challenges meant agency and bank staff worked in the unit to meet demand – despite lacking experience with patients with complex needs.
They said appropriate action had been taken to address staffing levels in the last 18 months.
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