Commission publishes new local visit reports - 22 September 2022
Publication date: 22 Sep, 2022
The Mental Welfare Commission today publishes 14 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 14 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) at the Mental Welfare Commission, said:
“After a period of carefully reintroducing our in-person visits to wards and units, we are now back to an almost pre-pandemic level of local visits across the country.
“On those visits, while we regularly hear of commitment and support from the broad range of professionals involved in a person’s care and treatment; we are also seeing an increasing need to make recommendations for improvement.
“The issues are wide-ranging from a rise in instances where patients’ welfare guardians or close relatives are not being included in decision making when they should be to reminding managers of the importance of ensuring legal authority is in place before giving certain treatments.
“While staffing issues remain a problem we continue to highlight, it is vital that standards and cultures on wards do not deteriorate.
“More than anything, the findings of these reports highlight the need for the Commission to continue its visits programme apace; publishing our findings and supporting wards and units as they address our recommendations and understand why we make them.”
The reports are for:
The Commission expects a response to each of its recommendations within three months of the reports being published.