Chamber and committees

NHS National Services Scotland (National Services Division) funds placements of children and young people with mental health problems who require secure inpatient care, and have collected data since 2011-12.

Due to the small numbers concerned and to protect patient confidentiality we are unable to provide the data requested.

Information on the number of people subject to an emergency detention certificate in 2014-15 which did not have the consent of a mental health officer is contained in Table 2 of the Appendix MHA Monitoring Report 2014-15. This is available on the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland website: http://www.mwcscot.org.uk/media/240686/appendix_mha_monitoring_2014-15_tables.pdf

We are working with NHS directors of planning to determine the most appropriate and clinically effective and safe model of secure Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services inpatient care in Scotland.

Children and young people referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) will generally be treated in the community. There may be times when it is necessary to admit them to hospital for specialist treatment. Should this be the case they would be admitted to one of the three regional CAMHS inpatient units. There are however occasions when a young person is admitted to an adult ward. This may happen for example when it may be clinically judged to be more appropriate to admit that young person to an adult ward or the young person and their family have a preference for an admission to a local adult ward. Most of these admissions will be young people aged 16 or 17.

The Mental Welfare Commission news release noted about the increase in admissions of young people to adult wards that:

The number of admissions of young people under 18 in Scotland with mental ill health to non-specialist – mainly adult – wards increased slightly last year, from 202 to 207.

Due to repeat admissions, the number of young people involved in those admissions reduced slightly, from 179 to 175.

The Scottish Government provided funding to allow the North of Scotland region to increase the number of beds available at Dudhope House, Dundee, for children and young people with mental health problems, from the six beds to twelve beds, which has increased the national bed base from 42 to 48, and improved the quality of the estate.

The new unit provides a 12 bed inpatient unit, including family accommodation for parents/carers. It provides specialist care for young people across the north of Scotland. All bedrooms have en-suite bathrooms and there is a private outdoor space, educational facility and a gym.

The new unit is a partnership between NHS Tayside, NHS Grampian, NHS Highland, NHS Orkney and NHS Shetland, who have come together to form the North of Scotland regional child and adolescent mental health service project by working together the five boards have developed a specialist network for young people with mental health problems.

When it was decided that there was a need to increase the provision of inpatient beds, an extensive consultation took place which considered the merits of basing a unit in Aberdeen, Inverness and the current facility at Dudhope House. These consultation events involved the professionals, patients, families and carers from all of the north of Scotland including the island boards.

There were a number of issues considered prior to the final decision being made and these included access to transport links, knowledge of inpatient care in the area, the ability to recruit additional staff, provision of on call psychiatry, views of local clinicians, potential bed usage relationships with local social care and education departments.

After careful consideration and discussion with the families who were particularly keen to retain the current site, because of its therapeutic value in terms of environment, it was decided that the unit at Dudhope continue to be the inpatient facility for the North of Scotland.

Suitable provision for non-motorised users, including cyclists, is an important part of the A96 dualling programme. The preferred option for the A96 Inverness to Nairn (including Nairn Bypass) was announced on 3 October 2014. Non-motorised user facilities on this section are currently being developed as part of the design development of the preferred option. Transport Scotland has set up community council and non-motorised user forums to provide updates on emerging proposals and also to seek vital feedback. Draft Orders for this section are expected to be published in 2016 for formal comment.

For the remaining sections of the A96 dualling from east of Nairn to Aberdeen, Transport Scotland has recently published a timetable for the next stage of the design process with more detailed route option assessment work to begin in 2016 following the procurement of consultants. Non-motorised user facilities will be developed as the dualling programme moves forward to more detailed stages of design development, in consultation with local communities and interest groups.

A former staff member could be investigated by the police if there is alleged criminality or by a workforce regulator such as the Scottish Social Services Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council if there is an alleged breach of professional conduct. The Care Inspectorate can investigate the quality of care provided in a registered care service, even if a staff member accused of wrongdoing has left.

There are offences of wilful neglect and ill-treatment set out in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. These offences deal with the neglect or ill-treatment of mentally disordered people and adults with incapacity. On investigation, the police may decide that there is sufficient evidence to submit a report to the Procurator Fiscal. In the course of such an investigation, the police have the power to question anyone they thought relevant, including former staff.

The Health (Tobacco, Nicotine etc. and Care) (Scotland) Bill, introduced to Parliament on 4 June 2015, includes provisions to create criminal offences of ill-treatment or wilful neglect of adults receiving care or treatment in health and social care settings, regardless of mental illness or capacity.

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities, to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, including the support given to staff to do this, are the responsibility of relevant local agencies.

Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid

NHS Health Scotland has for several years been rolling out Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA), a 12-hour evidence-based training course with the aim of improving the general public’s awareness and understanding of mental health. The course enables people to develop skills which are the mental health equivalent of physical first aid. SMHFA is supported by a website (www.smhfa.com). The site provides trainer support, with hints and tips and up to date information and a way for trainers to log all their courses and order course materials. The website offers information for the wider public who are able to access local training courses open to the public. It is estimated that, to date, over 45,000 people have attended SMHFA from across all the sectors and in all parts of Scotland. These figures are based on a count of materials distribution and recording forms received.

See Me

See Me is Scotland’s national campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination. Over the coming months See Me will be working with a small number of employers to trial the process they are developing. They will be working with Network Rail, Edinburgh City Council and Lewis Agency to develop resources, training materials and effective case studies and other support to ensure our offer to employers is as good as it can be. See Me will also be working with people with lived experience to further understand their experience and what action they can take to support the shift need in workplaces to transform culture and make work safe for people with mental health problems. See Me plan to do another more public awareness campaign in September 2015 highlighting some of the workplace issues and encouraging employers to sign up.

The Scottish Government provides funding totalling £10 million each year to Scottish Canals to enable it to deliver its statutory duties as well as our canals policy Making the most of Scotland’s canals which we published in 2013. This encourages Scottish Canals to identify and exploit productive new contributions from our canals in the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Purpose.

Scottish Canals continues to work with partners and in joint ventures to develop opportunities for the economic development and regeneration of areas adjacent to our canals. It is currently working with Glasgow City Council to redevelop areas in North Glasgow and with the Highland Council, West Dunbartonshire Council and Argyll and Bute Council on local plans including potential canalside developments.

Our canals continue to be developed as important locations for leisure activities including walking, cycling and boating. An excellent example of using and improving Scotland’s canal infrastructure for leisure is the recently opened Pinkston Watersports centre which offers a white-water paddlesports experience close to the centre of Glasgow.

Scotland’s canals continue to develop as major tourist attractions from the magnificent Caledonian canal running the length of the Great Glen in the Highlands to the Falkirk Wheel and the hugely popular Kelpies attraction which was formally opened in 2015.

A number of lessons have been learned from West Dunbartonshire Council’s raising attainment levels in school, in particular the authority wide literacy scheme.

The Scottish Government invited the Association of Directors of Education to conduct a review (published in March 2014) of the operation of the literacy hubs – this included the West Dunbartonshire literacy hub. The overall aim of the review was to understand the impact that the literacy hub approach has had across host and partner local authorities. West Dunbartonshire literacy hub shared the learning and delivered training across its partner authorities and learning has been shared more widely through Education Scotland’s National Literacy Network events.

Education Scotland’s report on Family Learning in West Dunbartonshire, published in July 2014, highlights ways in which the council is using family learning as a tool to improve outcomes and close the equity gap.

To support the Scottish Attainment Challenge a national hub will provide a virtual centre of expertise that will share practice of what is working well. Effective strategies and interventions, including those delivered in West Dunbartonshire Council, will be shared and made easily accessible through the hub. In addition, every local authority will have direct access to an attainment advisor who will work collaboratively alongside local authority staff and provide support to implement effective interventions. Those local authorities in receipt of the Attainment Scotland Fund, which includes West Dunbartonshire Council, have developed their own improvement plans focused on raising attainment in literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing. Lessons learned from these local authorities will be spread more widely.

Broader support to improve literacy is being provided by Education Scotland and the National Literacy Network, building on work done in the literacy hubs.