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During a seven-year period, Scotland’s largest children’s psychiatric hospital faced accusations of staff cruelty, with no official regulator conducting inspections. Skye House in Glasgow saw visits from the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland between 2017 and 2024, but without enforcement powers, no action was taken. It was only after patients revealed a culture of cruelty to the BBC Disclosure investigation that the regulator Healthcare Improvement Scotland was prompted to start inspections by the Scottish government.
Scotland’s two other inpatient adolescent mental health facilities, in Edinburgh and Dundee, escaped inspections as well, raising concerns about the lack of oversight. The Scottish government emphasized that health boards were responsible for upholding care standards at mental health facilities. Patients at Skye House shared harrowing experiences of being called “pathetic” and “disgusting” by nurses, along with instances of aggressive physical restraint and undue force, leaving them traumatized.
Opened in 2009 at Glasgow’s Stobhill hospital, Skye House caters to children aged 12 to 18 in crisis situations, yet it had never undergone formal inspections until recently due to a lack of regulatory oversight. The Mental Welfare Commission made routine visits, but their reports did not address key complaints raised by patients, including over-medication, self-harm cleanup, and aggressive staff behavior. Concerns were dismissed by a parent of a patient, who described the inspections as mere tickbox exercises.
Following the BBC investigation, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde launched inquiries, and while awaiting recommendations, the health board stayed mum on implemented changes. Despite previous fines for negligence resulting in a teenage girl’s death in 2018, Skye House remained uninspected until this year. The lack of oversight prompted calls for governance reform in mental health services to hold institutions accountable for their treatment of young patients. The Scottish government assured that measures were in place to ensure effective care standards
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