Teenagers mocked by nurses at Skye House children’s psychiatric unit
BBC Scotland Disclosure
Former patients at Scotland’s largest children’s psychiatric hospital have spoken about the cruel culture among caregivers.
Glasgow specialist NHS department Skye House, a teenager, was admitted to the BBC that some nurses called them “pathetic” and “disgusting” and even laughed at their suicide attempts.
“It almost seems like I’m considered an animal,” said a young patient who was treated with anorexia.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it was an “incredible regret” and conducted two investigations into allegations found by the BBC investigation.
Programmer manufacturer talked with 28 former patients during production BBC disclosed children in mental hospital Record.
One person said the 24-bed psychiatric hospital is located in Stobushire Hospital in Glasgow, like “hell”.
She added: “I’m going to say that the culture of the nursing team is toxic. Honestly, a lot of times, a lot of times it’s very cruel.”
Young people admitted between 2017 and 2024 told the program that nurses quickly resorted to force, including physical restraint and dragging patients into the corridors, leaving them injured and injured.
Some say she hopes to call police after the alleged attack but fears she will be treated worse.
Others have reported that overuse of drugs and sedative injections allow staff to quietly transfer, allowing patients such as “walking zombies”.
Some patients say they are punished for discomfort, including cleaning their blood by self-harm incidents.
Warning: Some readers may find troublesome details in this report
Skye House opened in 2009 and accepts children aged 12 to 18 who are usually at crisis points.
Most people are detained under the Mental Health Act, which means they cannot leave until the doctor decides it is appropriate to discharge.
The BBC began an investigation after a young patient reported treatment in the department.
Many other cases will soon be revealed.
Cara spent more than two years at the unit and began to experience anorexia at the age of 16.
Medical records reviewed by the BBC show she was restricted more than 400 times in 18 months.
She was often left with bruises and once her hair was pulled out.
“It hurts you. You won’t forget it,” she said.
If they pose a danger to others or themselves, up to five nurses may involve confining someone to the bed or floor.
The guidelines say that limiting factors can only be used as a last resort only if all other downgrade strategies are exhausted.
Cara, 21, sometimes has to be restricted to prevent her from being self-harmed, but said she could avoid her big one if the staff first tried to talk to her rather than using constraints “as the first port of the call”. Partially bound.
She said a constraint in 2021 shocked her bruises.
“He put me on the floor around his neck,” Kara said.
“It’s scary, let this man hover over you and press you down. His handprints are left on my neck.”
Cara’s medical notes revealed that on another occasion, she felt she was beaten after being pushed to the floor by the same nurse.
Kara asked for a police call, but later changed her mind.
She told Disclosure that it was because she was afraid of the result.
“I just think they may be worse than before,” she said.
When Inverness suffered from depression, an eating disorder, from 16-year-old Jenna, began to hurt herself.
The recent department of juvenile psychiatry in Dundee, but without a bed, she was sent to Skye House.
“It’s really hell, like a prison environment,” Jenna said.
Jenna spent about nine months in the department.
She was treated for anorexia for feeding through nasogastric (NG) tubes, a common but invasive malnutritional person that involves passing the tube through the nose into the stomach.
Sometimes she is restricted for this, but she says the way employees manage this treatment has traumatized her.
“Sometimes they would come to me, grab my arm and take me away,” she said.
“I was just dragged down by many nurses.”
Sometimes the staff gets so rough, she can bleed and bruised.
“Teaching me a lesson is a delicate punishment.”
“I’m constantly punished”
Self-harm behavior is a characteristic of the lives of nearly all patients who speak to the BBC.
They claim that caregivers often miss mandatory 15-minute checkups on patients, providing a chance to hurt themselves.
Jenna and Cara told Diblesun that sometimes they deceive themselves and clean their blood from the walls and floors.
Jenna said: “I remember the staff saying, ‘You’re disgusting, like that disgusting, you need to clean it up’. It made me feel very scary.”
Kara said the staff sometimes accidentally had her NG feed and delivered the liquid too quickly, causing her to vomit.
She said she would be cleaned up by herself and get sick.
Kara said: “They will give me wipes and I will get wiped off the floor. It feels like a punishment, as if I did it on purpose.
“I just feel like I’ve been punished for things.”
Stephanie has been suffering from several depressions at Skye House since she was 16 in 2020.
She said she suffered trauma from there.
“The nurses never really care or compassionate,” she said.
“They didn’t ask you what was wrong, they just put you on the floor and inject the medication.”
Stephanie once claimed she was beaten by a staff member who was frustrated by refusing to take a shower.
Stephanie said: “The nurse was angry with me.
“Then she dragged me off the bed by my legs, turned on the shower, and put my clothes on the shower. Then she walked away and left.
“I just thought it was normal at the time. Others did get the same treatment.”
Jane Heslop is a retired NHS chief nurse who spent her career in children and adolescent mental health services and reviewed the BBC evidence.
“It’s abuse, it’s totally wrong,” she said.
“If that was what the young man described, it would be absolutely unacceptable.”
Ms Heslop said it seemed that “some of these employees lost some boundaries”.
Abby is autistic and was admitted to commit suicide at the age of 14.
She stayed there for two and a half years and said she felt bullied by staff, some of whom could be verbally abused.
Once, she said she was ridiculed for being self-harm.
Abby said: “The nurse came to me and laughed almost like a smile, saying ‘You’re sad, like looking at yourself.”
“Sometimes it feels like bullying. I just want to hurt myself.
“What’s true to me is that if others think I’m pathetic, I’m pathetic.”
Abby and her family believe she was over-obeyed in Skye House.
She said: “Many patients are like walking zombies, including me.
“Like a lot of times, we’re just calmed down to the point where I guess our personality becomes dim.”
Jenna said that when patients are troubled, staff use intramuscular sedation excessively.
Emergency medication should be used as a last resort only.
Jenna said: “Without trying to talk to me first, or calm me down, they just do it (injection).
“I think to be honest, this is how all of their patients can be transferred more easily.”
“terribly sorry”
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said the drug was reviewed in 2023, which changed the way drugs were managed.
Dr. Scott Davidson, medical director of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said he found the allegations “harsh” and accepted some cases where nursing was “lower than what we expected from young people”.
“In light of these experiences and other patient narratives, a comprehensive review of the quality of care has been initiated,” he said.
“We also request an independent review of the department.”
The Health Commission said it has made many improvements to patient care, including employee recruitment and training for safety training.
It acknowledged that Skyhouse had faced staffing challenges in the past, meaning agency and bank staff were working in the department.
“This is not ideal because of their lack of experience in hospitalization units and the complexity of young people caring for at Skye House,” a statement said.
It said action has since been taken to address staffing levels.
Since 2017, the Scotland Psychological Welfare Council has visited Skye House six times.
The main issues raised in the BBC investigation are not shown in any reports it has published.
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