Commission publishes new local visit reports - 15 February 2023

The Mental Welfare Commission today publishes seven 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.

Today’s reports cover seven of those visits, highlighting 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:

“The issue of staff on wards is once again a recurring theme of this month’s reports. We heard many positive comments from patients and relatives who spoke about how caring and supportive staff were, and the difference this made.

“But we also heard about staff shortages and problems in recruiting to vacancies. Reduced staff numbers can curtail activities for patients, or cancel them altogether; the impact of these shortages on staff morale was also clear.

“Despite this, we found inspiring examples of innovation in care and treatment, and evidence of a ward ethos developed in such a way that it has become an exemplar of good practice.

“Finally, given the specialist nature of some of the wards we visited, today’s reports also include comments and recommendations that are very specific to the local situation. This is a further reminder of how important it is that we visit all wards in person, reporting on what we find on the day.”

The reports are for:

The Commission expects a response to each of its recommendations within three months of the reports being published.