The Mental Welfare Commission has reported that 71 young mental health patients were still being treated in non-specialist wards in 2015/2016, down from 207 in the previous year. The 71 represent only 1.6% of the total of 4 436 young mental health patients being treated. I understand it’s still 71 too many but hope that I can assume that the treatment in a non-specialist NHS Scotland ward would still be kind and informed by visiting psychologists.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-41653326
I have not read any disturbing reports of mental health patients in Scotland being treated as badly as in crisis-ridden NHS England where there is currently an acute shortage of adolescent mental health beds. The consequences can be cruel treatment in private hospitals with poor recruitment methods and/or inadequately trained staff or patients having to travel hundreds of miles away from their families to find a bed. See these two examples:
‘Vindictive’ hospital staff ‘taunted’ young psychiatric patients at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/14/vindictive-hospital-staff-taunted-young-psychiatric-patients/
As far as I can see, NHS Scotland with Scottish government support is working to prevent any comparable crisis. See:
- Thanks to Ludo for alerting me to this story.
Talking-up Scotland 
Hi John – The wonderful ‘Nana’ who posts over on WOS and links to so many useful bits of news had a link to this interesting news item from The Wirral today (see below):
Wirral rolls out baby boxes
A new initiative led by the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Improving Me programme means that all new mothers living in Wirral are to receive a Baby Box following a successful pilot.
The programme will include all new mothers in the Merseyside and Cheshire region getting a Baby Box as part of their antenatal maternity care.
As well as receiving a Baby Box, families become members of the Baby Box University, an online education syllabus providing health advice and support on topics ranging from breastfeeding to smoking cessation
Well done NHS Cheshire and Merseyside. Here’s hoping they aren’t subjected to the same onslaught from the Britnat political parties, the beeb/msm, a dubious charity headed by a former britnat (Lab) Minister and lord knows what other garbage was hurled at SNHS and SNP Scottish Govt for pushing through the eminently sensible scheme. I suspect we can look forward to many other NHS Services in rUK also picking up the idea (now they can study it actually in operation).
Not much danger that Kaye (with an ‘e’) will devote her radio Jockland programme to this endorsement of the Scottish Baby Box project – what do you reckon?
Ta, ludo
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Interesting. Thanks for this. Don’t suppose Kaye will want to talk about this.
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Hi John – another bit of imitation as the sincerest form of flattery from the Welsh Labour (with single remaining Lib Dem) Govt re. Minimum Pricing. From beeb website below:
Minimum alcohol price law unveiled in Wales
A law to set a minimum price for selling alcohol in Wales has been unveiled.
Ministers believe tackling excessive drinking could save a life a week and mean 1,400 fewer hospital admissions a year.
Pricing is seen as a “missing link” in public health efforts, alongside better awareness and treatment.
“There is a very clear and direct link between levels of excessive drinking and the availability of cheap alcohol,” said Public Health Minister Rebecca Evans.
“So we need to take decisive action now to address the affordability of alcohol, as part of wider efforts to tackle alcohol-related harm.”
Ministers in Wales hope it will become law by summer 2018.
Remember how Labour’s north brit accounting unit fought tooth and nail against Minimum Pricing in Scotland (with the rest of the Better Together crew)?
Oh well – there’s more joy in heaven…etc
Ta, ludo
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Thanks Ludo. I sometimes think you work more on this than I do.
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