Commission highlights impact of ward environments in latest visit reports
Publication date: 16 Aug, 2023
The Mental Welfare Commission today publishes eight new reports on NHS hospital wards and other facilities in Scotland.
Every year the Mental Welfare Commission visits around 100 wards and units for people with mental ill health, learning disability, dementia or related conditions in Scotland, talking to patients, relatives and staff, and examining records. A report is published after each visit. The Commission expects a response to each of its recommendations within three months of the reports being published.
Today’s reports highlight positive findings, aspects of care and treatment where we think the service could do better, and making recommendations for change where necessary.
Claire Lamza, executive director (nursing), Mental Welfare Commission, said:
“In nearly all of this month’s reports, we’ve highlighted the impact of the environment where care is being provided. Being admitted to hospital can be difficult and traumatic; to be in a ward where the facilities and space are in need of updating and modernising can have a detrimental impact on a person’s mental health and wellbeing.
“Even though we heard about the positive impact of staff, and the care and treatment they continue to provide, doing this in a modern, fit-for purpose setting could make a significant difference to an individual’s recovery.”
The reports are for: