The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fears mental health services review will be a whitewash.
Relatives of suicide victims voice concern as MSPs back full public inquiry if board’s probe falls short
Families of suicide victims in Dundee fear an NHS Tayside review of its mental health services will be a “whitewash”.
But Lost Souls of Dundee campaigners cautiously welcomed a Holyrood decision last night to launch a full public inquiry if the Tayside investigation falls short.
The campaign group believes at least 10 suicides in the city could have been prevented if better support was available at the Carseview unit.
Yesterday, bereaved Forfar dad Malcolm Nichol called for Health Secretary Shona Robison to resign for ignoring their plight for years.
Mr Nichol, whose son Scott killed himself in 2010, said: “The bottom line is we don’t trust Shona Robison and we don’t trust NHS Tayside.”
On the health board’s inquiry he said: “I don’t believe for a minute it’s not going to be a whitewash.”
MSPs unanimously supported a motion that forces the health secretary to launch a probe under the Inquiries Act 2005 if the Tayside-commissioned one fails to meet certain conditions.
Under the successful Scottish Government amendment, the triggers for an upgraded inquiry are a lack of independence or if key figures fail to co-operate.
An inquiry under the 2005 Act would ensure independence in the panel and allow the panel to compel witnesses to give evidence under oath.
Gillian Murray’s uncle David Ramsay committed suicide in 2016 after twice being rejected for treatment at the mental health unit.
The Dundee campaigner gave a cautious welcome to the Holyrood decision, but said ministers must stick to their promise to “escalate” the health board’s review to a statutory inquiry if it is not “truly independent and truly impartial”.
The commitment was secured after Scottish Labour raised Ms Murray’s case at First Minister’s Questions.
Anas Sarwar, for Scottish Labour, said his party are supporting the Tayside inquiry on five conditions, including that the families are closely involved.
He said: “The SNP has made a promise to the families of Dundee of an independent inquiry. That must be kept.”
Ms Robison, who is also the Dundee East MSP, said: “What is important here is that the (Tayside) independent inquiry is just that – independent.
“But most important in all of this is that it has the confidence of the families and they should be involved right from the start in the terms of reference.”
John Brown, the acting chairman of NHS Tayside, said their independent assurance report on its mental health services will ensure the board follows up recommendations from health agencies and “provides an opportunity to capture the concerns of patients and families”.
“If the report highlights any areas for improvement, or flags up issues where we can learn lessons, we will make any changes required immediately,” Mr Brown added.
The decision by the Scottish Parliament to make provisions for a full public inquiry into NHS Tayside mental health services is a positive step forward for campaigners.
Let us hope it does not prove necessary.
The option will only come into play if Tayside’s own investigation is deemed to have fallen short.
The Lost Souls of Dundee group believes at least 10 suicides could have been prevented if better support had been available to their loved ones at the Carseview unit in Dundee.
Families, some of whom have been fighting for answers for years, say they do not have confidence in NHS Tayside’s ability to get to the heart of what went wrong.
They fear a whitewash and say they are counting on ministers to hold the health board to a statutory inquiry if its review is not sufficiently impartial and independent.
The ball is in NHS Tayside’s court now – and the country is watching.
That the investigation is now liable to such scrutiny is largely down to the efforts of bereaved families, whose lives have been torn apart in the most shocking and heartbreaking ways.
They have shown extraordinary strength and courage in bringing the circumstances of their loved ones’ deaths into the spotlight.
They deserve nothing less than the whole truth.