Murdo Fraser MSP has said “it is time” to give proper help to people suffering from mental health issues in Tayside, after previously been “failed” by the authorities in the region.
The Scottish Conservative politician was speaking following the publication of The Final Report from the Independent Oversight and Assurance Group on Tayside’s Mental Health Services. The report covers various areas of mental health provision in Tayside, and states that negative comments outweighed positive comments from service users in Tayside by more than five to one.
Mr Fraser previously raised his concerns with the First Minister at Holyrood over the tragic deaths of five people at the Moredun Ward of Murray Royal Hospital in Perth. The general adult psychiatry ward is for male and female patients aged from 18 to 65, suffering from acute mental health disorders.
NHS Tayside were previously fined £120,000 after it admitted guilt in the criminal findings that led to the deaths of three women on Moredun Ward between May 2013 and November 2015.
Following the publication of The Final Report, the Scottish Government has said it will support ‘sustainable change and improvements’ in Tayside, to ensure the ‘safe and effective’ delivery of mental health services.
Commenting, Mr Fraser, who represents the Mid Scotland and Fife region, said: “I welcome this report which has been published and am pleased that the Scottish Government has said they aim to meet all its recommendations. In recent years, we have had a number of constituents contact us about mental health issues across Tayside. Of particular concern to me were concerns raised by constituents about the number of suicides that took place at the Moredun Ward at Murray Royal Hospital in Perth – an issue I have raised many times in the Scottish Parliament.
“The constituents’ concerns are echoed in the details of a survey highlighted in The Final Report, entitled ‘Listen – Experiences of NHS Tayside Mental Health Services, where it was stated that negative comments outweighed positive comments by more than 5 to 1. This survey’s main findings included a poor response to suicide risk and people being unsupported in times of heightened risk.
“It is very clear that people with mental health problems have been failed by the health authorities in Tayside for far too long – it is time to change that.”
