Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
‘Carseview violated my rights’ claims ex-patient Michael
A PATIENT at Dundee’s mental health unit claims the centre violated his rights by locking him in his room overnight.
Michael I rvine voluntarily checked into Carseview last month for help with chronic anxiety.
As an informal patient – one who attends a mental health service without being detained under the Mental Health Act – Michael was free to leave the facility as and when he wished.
However, he claims he was locked in his room from 8.30pm to 8.30am, a move he calls a “huge breach of rights”.
Michael, 36, who has now discharged himself and returned to his Hilltown home, said: “I was terrified to go back there – my GP advised the place was different but it’s exactly the same.
“Me and many other patients’ human rights were breached on a daily basis. I was made to wait three days without medication to help my anxiety and was getting child-sized portions at meal times. The staff sat in their offices all night and didn’t approach patients to ask if they were OK when they were clearly distressed and banging their heads off the walls.
“Patients basically had to help other patients the majority of the time.
“The NHS is breaching our human rights and staff are bound by their policies. They could get sacked for even giving us leftover food. It’s not on.”
Inspectors from the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland (MWC) paid an unannounced visit to the centre last month after previously raising concerns about staffing and care planning.
Michael was among 17 patients to relay their concerns to the watchdog.
A spokesman for the MWC said: “I can confirm that the
Mental Welfare Commission carried our an unannounced visit to Carseview Centre on January 22.
“The commission manages 25% of all visits on an unannounced basis and this was part of our planned programme of visits. The commission is unable to comment on individual cases, any concerns raised by patients would be followed up with staff on the day by the MWC visitor as appropriate.”
Under MWC guidelines, locked doors and other restrictions should only be put in place when an individual is at risk, or presents risk, out and about unsupervised and has “diminished capacity” to judge when and where it is safe to go.
The organisation also states doors should remain unlocked unless absolutely necessary, and should also not be used to cover situations were there is not enough staff.
The MWC adds: “The position of individuals who do not need the door locked must equally be fully considered, so that they can have free access to the outside world.
“They should have written information and instruction, if necessary, on how to come and go from the care setting.”
NHS Tayside said: “All inpatient areas are locked overnight for safety and security reasons and staff are available should a patient approach them when in distress.
“All patient meals are portion controlled and calorie rated and the quality is regularly reviewed.
“Meals provided at Carseview meet all standards currently stipulated by Health Facilities Scotland – no staff would be disciplined for handing out extra portions.”
Michael’s claims are the latest in a series to emerge from Carseview. The centre is at the core of an ongoing independent inquiry into Tayside mental health services that is due to be published this week.