Media release: Joint Unannounced Visit/Safe Delivery of Care Inspection Report: Skye House, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission today (Thursday 19 February) published a report relating to a joint unannounced visit and inspection to Skye House, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, which took place in August 2025.
This is the third published report of Scotland’s in-patient child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). We have been jointly visiting and inspecting the three regional services, as well as the national facility.
Our report highlights:
Areas of good practice
- During our onsite visit/inspection we observed, positive, respectful and responsive interactions between staff and young people.
- Skye House has introduced a care manager role to coordinate young people’s care and be key point of contact for young people’s carers and families.
- Additional funding has been sourced to significantly increase the nursing staff, and to review and increase the multidisciplinary team.
- Regular reflective practice and debrief sessions are available for staff.
- Skye House has an indoor gymnasium and outdoor spaces as well as access to an outdoor multi-use games area.
- All young people are offered a fortnightly young person’s meeting which enables young people to provide feedback and ask questions about their care plan.
Areas for improvement
- Significant concerns were expressed about the attitudes of some staff who were said to lack compassion and empathy.
- A robust workforce model is required to address long-standing gaps in staffing at Skye House.
- Restraint recording requires to be consistent in terms of numbers and detail. Multiple restraints need to be recorded as such to avoid under-reporting.
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde should consider adding self-harm and suicide prevention training to mandatory training for Skye House staff.
- Meaningful activity must be provided consistently, including evenings and weekends.
- Adequate provision of mealtime support must be provided ensuring a therapeutic environment during mealtimes and a full range of dietary options.
- All young person’s care documentation must be accurately and consistently completed and reviewed appropriately, and young people and their families involved in planning their care, and that this is clearly documented.
- Our visit and inspection resulted in nine areas for improvement and 16 requirements.
Speaking of the report, Robbie Pearson, Chief Executive of Healthcare Improvement Scotland, and Julie Paterson, Chief Executive of the Mental Welfare Commission, said:
“Skye House is a key service for the West of Scotland, providing specialist care for young people. During this joint visit, Healthcare Improvement Scotland reviewed how the overall system of care is organised, while the Mental Welfare Commission focused on the direct experiences of young people and their families/carers.
“The report highlights the voices and experiences of young people and emphasises the need to strengthen and maintain a positive, respectful culture. It is essential that every young person consistently receives empathetic and compassionate care and that practice is fully compliant with the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act.
“We also saw positive examples of visible leadership, with a supportive environment for staff and examples of good practice.
“We are confident that the requirements and recommendations are the right ones to ensure significant change in the care that young people receive.“An improvement action plan has been developed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and we expect the NHS board to address the areas for improvement and prioritise the requirements to meet national standards.”
The full inspection report is available at: https://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.scot/publications/skye-house-safe-delivery-of-care-inspection-february-2026/
Ends
Notes to editor
In February of last year Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Mental Welfare Commission were commissioned by Scottish Government to undertake joint visits/inspections of Scotland’s in-patient child and adolescent mental health services to address national concerns about the care of young people in mental health units.
Skye House is a 24 bedded Tier 4 specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Unit based in the Stobhill Campus Glasgow. Skye House has three wings, Mull, Harris and Lewis and cares for young people who may have a range of mental health conditions such as depression, psychosis and eating disorders. Skye House is the regional unit for the West of Scotland. There were 24 young people on the ward when we visited; 11 of whom had more than one diagnosis. 18 of the young people were receiving care on a compulsory basis, whilst six were receiving this voluntarily.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland is the national improvement agency for health and care in Scotland. We provide independent assurance of the quality and safety of the care provided by Scotland’s health and care system and measure how outcomes for people are improving and inequalities reducing. With partner organisations, we will consider how services are working together as an integrated system to implement improvements.
The Mental Welfare Commission’s focus is on individuals and their experience of care and treatment. The Commission makes sure that the care and treatment of a person with a mental health condition (children, young people and adults) is in line with the principles of both the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003) and the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.