Health Secretary Neil Gray and Conservative MSP Miles Briggs.
By Lucy Ashton
There are so many children and young people with mental health problems that they are being admitted to adult services for treatment, rather than a national health service specialist child and adolescent mental health ward.
This was revealed in the Scottish Parliament today by Conservative MSP Miles Briggs who asked Neil Gray, the Secretary for Health and Social Care, when this would stop.
Mr Gray told him: “We expect children and young people who require in-patient mental health care to be looked after in age-appropriate facilities. We have three regional young person units providing specialist support to young people from across Scotland [including West Dunbartonshire], as well as a national child psychiatric in-patient unit.
“Very occasionally a young person will be admitted to an adult ward—for example, where they require admission to an intensive psychiatric care unit and cannot be safely cared for in an open adolescent unit.
“Admission will be for the shortest possible time and under strict conditions, including supervision from child and adolescent mental health service clinicians and following the guidance on admission to adult mental health wards for under-18s.”
Pressed by Miles Briggs to elaborate, Neil Gray added: “ I recently held a round-table meeting in the Parliament, when I welcomed Jane and Dave Macdonnell, who told MSPs about the experience of their son, Harris. I thank the MSPs who attended that meeting, at which the Macdonnells bravely read out Harris’s essay, ‘Escape’, which captured his time being held in an adult service.
“Harris said: ‘When I became unwell, I was admitted to Huntlyburn Adult Psychiatric Unit, because there were no beds in Scotland available in any Young Person’s Unit. No other young person should have to go through the experience I had.
‘It was the wrong place for someone who was already mixed up, frightened and unsure of who they were. The environment heightened my anxiety. After treatment for my injuries I was cared for in the Young Person’s Unit in Edinburgh for 2 months and I began my recovery’.”
“Harris Macdonnell tragically took his own life in 2020. I welcome the news of the fatal accident inquiry that is now to take place regarding Harris’s case.
“However, the scandal of children and young people still being admitted to adult services has to end. It has gone on for too long. Will the Scottish Government now act and agree to introduce a ban on children and young people being admitted to adult services?”
“In some circumstances—I hope that they are rare circumstances—it is necessary to ensure safe delivery of care for children and young people.
“Sometimes they need to be seen in adult services, but that must be done following the guidance that I mentioned, while ensuring that it is avoided, wherever possible.”
Top picture: Gartnavel Royal Hospital for adult mental health patients at Anniesland in Glasgow.