Response from the Mental Welfare Commission to the Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside
Publication date: 5 Feb, 2020
A Mental Welfare Commission spokesperson said:
‘We welcome publication of this comprehensive, wide-ranging report, which sets out the many challenges faced by mental health services in Tayside. These include issues related to care and treatment; staff morale and staff shortages; accountability; governance and leadership.
“While the issues are complex, the central point remains that every person with mental ill health or learning disability should be able to access good quality care and treatment, whether in hospital or in the community.
"In relation to the Mental Welfare Commission, we fully support recommendation 29 which states that inpatient services should reduce the levels of ward locking in line with our guidelines, which can be found at Risks, Rights and Limits to Freedom.
"We acknowledge, too, recommendation 12, which calls for a national review of the assurance and scrutiny of mental health services across Scotland, including the powers of Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission. This comes at the time of the Scott review of the Mental Health Act, which is currently underway.
“We anticipate that the Scott review may consider our role in relation to the Act, as it considers the best ways of ensuring that people receive high quality care and treatment, whether they are being cared for in hospital or in the community. The Commission welcomes discussions on new opportunities to ensure our work remains effectively targeted as the environment changes.
“For now, we hope that Tayside mental health services can use this report to take action to improve their services and increase support for staff, raising staff morale. We also hope patients and their families continue to be listened to by those services, and see improvements being made.”
Contact telephone: 0131 313 8786