WATCH: Tayside mental health services independent inquiry gets underway

It will last six weeks and help shape the future of services across the health board

Author: Hazel MartinPublished 5th Sep 2018
Last updated 5th Sep 2018

An Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside is today opening the Call for Evidence from patients, families, carers, NHS staff, community groups and organisations.

The team, lead by The Chair of the Inquiry, David Strang, will hear personal testimonies and experiences from anyone who has engaged with these services at the health board.

It comes after a recent television documentary about some former patients at Carseview Psychiatric Unit in Dundee, who claim they had been mistreated at the centre.

Evidence will be gathered over the next six weeks, and the panel will then make recommendations on any changes that are needed to mental health services across NHS Tayside.

Mr. Strang said: “I am keen to hear from a wide range of people with experience of mental health services in Tayside and will welcome all contributions to the Inquiry."

"If patients feel they were well treated and received good care, then we want to hear that and also, I want people to be honest about, perhaps, the things that have gone wrong or the things that were disappointing for them.

"I am obviously aware of the concerns that were raised in that TV programme and we will be speaking to patients in Carseview and to staff, so that will form part of it, but it is not the major part, it is just one aspect.

"We want to identify good practise, we will look elsewhere and we want to inform the future development of good practise".