Seven issues for the bosses
1 THREE members of staff were recently assaulted, resulting in serious injuries.
“The State Hospital provides specialist mental health care and treatment for patients who require to be cared for in conditions of special security.
“While we cannot comment on individual incidents, I can confirm that assaults on staff can and do occur.
“Risk-assessing and managing aggressive behaviour is a core skill of the clinical teams and all our clinical staff have specialist training in prevention and management of aggression.
“As part of the Scottish Patient Safety Programme we continuously seek to reduce incidents involving aggression and have been very successful on a year-on-year basis.”
2 STAFFING levels are low, resulting in staff and patient safety being compromised.
“Workforce staffing requirements are continuously reviewed to ensure that our staffing levels are matched to meeting patient needs at all times.
“The service requires to meet significant variation in clinical demands and plans the overall workforce requirements in line with a requirement for flexibility.
“The hospital is currently staffed to its full funded establishment of almost 300 nursing staff, with no vacant posts.”
3 ONE patient in a 12-bed ward is being looked after by four members of staff.
“The service operates from within four multi-disciplinary hubs, each with capacity of up to three 12-bedded wards.
“This enables the service to respond flexibly to changes in demand for high secure care.
“The care arrangements for individual patients within the hubs are assessed by the multi-disciplinary team and are planned and delivered on an individualised basis according to assessed need.”
4 ACTIVITIES for patients are severely limited due to staff shortages, including the woodwork unit and craft activities being reduced.
“The hospital provides a wide range of activities for patients including sports, education, gardening, occupational therapy and crafts.
“Until recently, we were able to provide opportunities for some patients to learn woodworking skills. We have found it difficult to retain the specialist carpentry skills required for this element of the service on a sustainable basis, and, following a review of options by our service lead, will be reinvesting the staffing resource in alternative activities.”
5 WARDS are closed temporarily, with nursing staff numbers greatly reduced.
“In common with all in-patient services, we require to respond flexibly to changes in demand for our care. We are currently operating out of 11 of our 12 wards. There has been no reduction on overall numbers of nurses as staff have been relocated to alternative wards.”
6 SOMETIMES only one male member of staff is on duty with female nurses, who cannot carry out body searches on male inmates.
“The nursing service operates with a gender balance in nursing of approximately 60 per cent males to 40 per cent females. As noted above, all our nursing staff have specialist training in prevention and management of violence and aggression.
“Ensuring a genderappropriate balance on an individual shift is a feature of day-to-day staff rostering by senior charge nurses and adjustments can be made as appropriate. Male staff are always available when intimate procedures, such as searching, are undertaken.”
7 PATIENTS are not being kept occupied or stimulated due to closures and cuts to both staff and recreational activities.
“Activities are provided in a range of settings including our wards, grounds and activity centres. On occasions when staff sickness, for example, impacts on provision of activities, alternatives are normally available.”
Assaults on staff can and do occur. All our clinical staff have specialist training