‘Progress in mental health care not enough’

One year on from the publication of a damning report into mental health services in Tayside, led by former Lothian and Borders chief constable David Strang, bereaved campaigners have hit out at the pace of work undertaken to address the recommendations.

The report, Trust And Respect, is the result of an extensive examination of how mental health is treated in the region, and was published last February. It contained 51 recommendations.

Among the campaigners who fought for the inquiry was Mandy McLaren, whose son Dale Thomson took his own life in 2015 after treatment at Carseview.

She “cannot wait” to speak again to David Strang, who is due to conduct a review of progress in coming months.

Mandy said: “Not enough is being done, in my opinion. I worry that there’s been a lot of work in the strategy, but nothing on the ground yet.

“When the report was published a year ago I thought we would be a lot further on by this time.

“They are saying they’re listening but I am not sure they are. I am very sceptical of what they are telling us.

“I don’t want them using coronavirus as an excuse, because, if anything, demand for more mental health services is going up during the lockdowns.”

Through her involvement with subgroups set up to oversee how the health board act upon the recommendations, Mandy is worried little movement is being made.

She claims to have heard from relatives of patients and staff being ignored when telling management what needs to be done.

“Until the things hit the ground level, there’s no real change. In the meantime, people are not getting the right treatment,” she said.

“One of the big things in the Strang report was the culture change, but that hasn’t happened as far as I can see. There’s too many people stuck in the old ways.

“Nothing seems to be moving. All that I can see that has changed is some paperwork.

“I accept paperwork can be important, but it’s not enough a year on.”

Mandy has been working with mental health charity Perth Plus, who recently issued a survey on their website to canvass the views of people receiving care from NHS Tayside.

She said: “We want to see what people are saying so that when the health board come back and tell us certain boxes have been ticked, we can compare that to actual patient testimony and challenge them on it if need be.”

Gillian Murray, who campaigned with Mandy after the death of her uncle Dave Ramsay, also said progress has been slower than she would have liked.

She said: “The report validated concerns that myself and many others had been campaigning for about for years, in some cases decades.

“The denial, hostility and outright lies we were subjected to from NHS Tayside were rightly challenged with the Strang report, and my family and other bereaved families finally received a public apology from chief executive Grant Archibald.

“A lot has changed in the world in the past year, but it appears that nothing has changed with regards to inpatient mental health services in Tayside.

“I was heartbroken to read that yet another victim of the shambolic system has lost their life while in a ‘secure’ psychiatric ward.

“Her family have now joined our very extensive club of families bereaved by Tayside mental health service failings, and I can assure you it’s not a club you want to join.

“Evidently lessons are never learned because the same failings are repeated year-on-year, resulting in more preventable deaths and shattered families.

“I’m glad David Strang is coming back this year because I think he will be as disillusioned as we are that very little seems to have changed.

“I have witnessed the very worst of NHS Tayside mental health services and my uncle David is no longer alive as a result. I have also experienced some of the best, with an NHS psychologist who helped me to want to live again.

“The standard of care should not fluctuate as widely as this. Inpatient mental health services within Tayside are not fit for purpose.”

It should be of great concern that a year on from a damning report that called for action to drastically improve mental health provision on Tayside, people at the very heart of the procedure are critical of its progress.

Mandy McLaren and Gillian Murray continue to grieve for loved ones lost as they wrestled unsuccessfully with deep psychological problems. They are no mere bystanders to the ongoing work to repair a failing system, but are actively involved in trying to better it. So they know what they are talking about.

When they ring alarm bells about the pace of change, they do so because they want no other families to suffer the heartache theirs have endured. Their speaking out should prompt neither ire nor defensiveness from the authorities – a cultural trait that was picked up in the initial inspection. Rather, it should be seized upon by those working to enhance facilities as a call to arms to redouble their efforts.

There are a good many professionals, stretched and stressed, who continue to give their all to the sick and vulnerable in our community, and want to achieve more. They need the support and encouragement of management at every level in this endeavour.

Ultimately, it’s in everyone’s interest that we have a mental health service which, to use the report’s own title, we can all Trust and Respect.