The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
NHS Tayside urged to act over mental health report
Grieving mum speaks out after scathing review of management issues at board
A grieving mother has urged health chiefs not to ignore a new scathing review of management at Tayside psychiatric services, claiming there has been little or no improvement since her daughter took her own life more than four years ago.
Former gala queen Rebecca Sangster, of Abernethy, was a patient at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth when she died of hanging in October 2015.
The 31-year-old’s death came after Tayside Health Board failed to respond to a previous warning about ligature points on furniture and fittings in the Moredun Ward where she was staying.
Last week, The Courier revealed details of a new review of local mental health services which showed that patients with suicidal thoughts were regularly delayed access to appropriate treatment.
Rebecca’s mum Ann, from Abernethy, has now called on NHS Tayside to take action on the latest findings by Healthcare Improvement
Scotland (HIS). She said: “It is four and a half years since our daughter’s death while under the care of NHS Tayside and it would appear from this report that little has changed in the management of mental health services in Tayside in this time.”
Ann, who is suing the health board over her daughter’s death, said: “This is yet another report covering and raising similar issues that have been brought to NHS Tayside’s notice time and again, over a number of years.
“I cannot help but wonder if this recent report is to join previous reports on an unknown shelf in an unknown office to be joined by a similar report next year. The important issue is when will NHS Tayside take positive timely actions to resolve these matters?”
Just before lockdown, Tayside Health Board admitted criminal responsibility for the death of Rebecca and two other woman at Murray Royal Hospital between 2012 and 2015.
Perth Sheriff Court was told that “robust” and “radical” improvements had since been made at the ward.
However, Sheriff Lindsay Foulis said: “It should not have taken three deaths for that very significant review to be undertaken.”
The publication on Thursday of the HIS review followed the release earlier this year of the findings of an independent inquiry led by Dr David Strang, which called for a radical redesign.
The HIS report said community mental health teams were regularly accepting referrals of patients with “vague suicidal thoughts” when they may have been better being sent to third-sector organisations or primary care services.
It called on NHS Tayside to resolve management issues as a top priority.
A spokeswoman for the health board declined to comment on Mrs Sangster’s comments specifically, but said: “We will now ensure that the actions and recommendations set out in the report are progressed through the improvement work already under way across mental health services Tayside.”