'Watchdog boss calls for more mental health staff to cope with crisis' Herald Scotland, Monday 5 January 2015:
Intro
"MENTAL health services are struggling to cope amid an increase in the
number of vulnerable patients being detained in hospital, according to
the head of a government watchdog.
MSPs have received a detailed briefing on the situation from Colin
McKay, chief executive of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland,
ahead of a debate on the issue tomorrow (tue).
Mr McKay said a national programme is required to recruit and train
more of the dedicated staff to avert a growing crisis in the sector .." Read article
My comment:
"As a carer of two family members who were detained under the Mental
Health Act in 2012 and 2013, in two different health board areas, I am
concerned that the principles of the Act are not being practised
appropriately and that safeguards are not safe on every occasion. It is
a postcode lottery and depends on whether a health board is
implementing the Act properly and monitoring the Act effectively.
It
was our experience that Mental Health Officers did not appear to know
what the rights of psychiatric patients were and I had to raise
complaints about unprofessional behaviour of MHOs, in respect of their
disclosing of personal information. In response to my complaint I was
told, by a senior social work manager, that it was a "learning point". I
got this on more than one occasion.
Surely a professionally
trained social worker/MHO on about £35,000 a year should have learned
how to do the job when working with vulnerable people in psychiatric
settings? I think this is only an excuse for not doing the job right."
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