Minister promises action after allegations of cruelty at Skye House
A BBC documentary aired earlier this month focused on the mental health facility in Glasgow.
Scotland’s social care and mental wellbeing minister has promised action will be taken at a mental health facility at the centre of cruelty allegations.
Skye House in Glasgow was the subject of a BBC documentary earlier this month, in which a number of former residents alleged mistreatment at the facility for young people.
Two probes were launched by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde in response to the programme, in which young women described the facility as “hell”, with reports of staff being quick to use forceful restraint as well as over-medication and abusive language.
In a statement to Holyrood on Tuesday, minister Maree Todd said Health Improvement Scotland (HIS) and the Mental Welfare Commission (MWC) will step up inspections at the country’s three facilities for young people, as she promised those in the documentary that their testimony will lead to change.
But Scottish Conservative Central Scotland MSP Meghan Gallacher accused the Scottish Government of having known about issues at the facility “for years”, citing emails sent by a constituent to ministers in 2023.
Ms Todd said: “I want to speak directly to the young people featured in the documentary.
“My message to them is that their testimonies will result in change for the better.
“What I found so disturbing about the documentary was the culture depicted.
“By any standards, the behaviour of some staff during the time covered fell far below what we all expect of healthcare professionals. Or, in fact, of basic standards of decency and compassion.”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC), she said, will be expected to “act immediately” on any recommendations which come from the reviews, and she vowed to take action “very seriously”.
Ms Gallacher said: “The Scottish Government, they didn’t find out about this through the BBC documentary, they’ve known for years.
“On June 23 2023, my constituent contacted Scottish Government officials on behalf of her daughter, Harmony.
“On August 12 2024, (they) contacted the First Minister, Health Secretary Neil Gray and the minister for children and young people Natalie Don-Innes.
“The email subject: ‘Urgent concerns regarding the care and treatment of our child.’
“On November 25 2024 she contacted the minister Natalie Don-Innes again after being ignored by (Ms Todd).
“I have no idea how the minister can stand here today and pretend to be shocked, because she had known about this for years.
“The minister says that she finally feels the need to make a statement on the abuse young women endured while being detained at Skye House – only two years late.”
Ms Gallacher questioned why the correspondence from her constituent had not been treated with “utmost seriousness”.
Responding, Ms Todd pointed to the size of ministerial mailbags.
“Scottish ministers, she’ll understand, receive a huge amount of correspondence daily,” Ms Todd told Ms Gallacher.
“When issues are raised regarding a medical setting such as Skye House, the Scottish Government would normally direct correspondence to their health boards because patient care and delivery are the statutory responsibility of local healthcare providers.”
While she was reticent to comment on individual cases, Ms Todd said she is “extremely sorry” for any distress caused to the family of the former resident, and added she “looked forward to meeting with them to hear their concerns”.
Dr Scott Davidson, NHSGGC medical director, said: “In light of the experiences and of the accounts of patients, a full internal review of the quality of care at Skye House is underway.
“We are also engaging with the Royal College of Psychiatrists on a further independent expert review of the unit.
“We welcome the announcement of the additional review by HIS and MWC of all adolescent inpatient units and will work collaboratively with them throughout this process.”
