NHS Highland has been issued a health and safety improvement notice due to ineffective training and planning putting staff and patient wellbeing at risk.
After visiting New Craigs Hospital in Inverness, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) handed NHS Highland the notice due to concerns for patients and staff.
Their report found the safety of adult patients in the acute mental health inpatient group was compromised in areas where they may be isolated.
Inspectors also shared concerns around adequacy of staff training of employees who could be “exposed to violence at work”.
The HSE has now issued an improvement notice.
Isolated areas pose risk to patient safety
In their report, inspectors said: “You (NHS Highland) have failed to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that persons not in your employment, namely the adult acute mental health inpatient group are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
“In that, you have failed to remove identified ligature points from areas on the wards where patients may be isolated.”
The report specifically mentioned rooms such as bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms at New Craigs Hospital.
Inspectors also said staff’s safety was at risk.
They added: “You have failed to provide the necessary information, instruction and training to staff at that may be exposed to violence at work.”
The notice comes after the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland visited a psychiatric ward in the hospital and raised concerns regarding a reliance on staff working overtime in 2020.
Safety of patients and staff is ‘paramount’
A spokeswoman for NHS Highland said the health board received the improvement notice in December last year and that work was already underway to make improvements.
She added: “We work closely with the HSE to continuously improve patient and staff safety, and to ensure risks identified are reduced.
“The safety of both patients and staff is paramount to continue delivery of high-quality services.
“The HSE identified existing fixtures in the ward that could be used by patients to harm themselves. Work has started to remove some of these risks and further work is planned.
“Health and safety systems and training practices have been improved and implemented to ensure that all staff receive the training that they require to ensure the provision of safe care to vulnerable patients.”
Conversation