Report published into child and adolescent mental health services at the Melville Inpatient Unit in NHS Lothian
We have published a report into child and adolescent mental health services at the Melville Inpatient Unit in NHS Lothian.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland, in conjunction with the Mental Welfare Commission, carried out an unannounced inspection and visit to the unit between 12–16 May 2025.
As part of this joint programme with the Mental Welfare Commission, we plan to inspect the three regional CAMHS services, as well as the national facility. The inspections will focus on identifying and minimising risks within the current environment, and providing robust public assurance.
Our organisation’s role in this joint commission was to carry out an inspection of the systems, leadership and governance, which all have a direct relationship to the experience of those receiving care and treatment, whilst the Mental Welfare Commission visit looked at the experiences of those receiving care and treatment.
Speaking of the report, Donna Maclean, Chief Inspector at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, said:
“We appreciate that elements of the full report will be distressing for people to read. However, it’s also important to note that during our inspection we observed positive interactions between staff and young people. Staff we spoke with were positive about working on the unit and newly registered nurses told us they felt well supported.
“Families we spoke with were grateful for care provided. However, they told us they felt that there could be more dietitian and psychology support.”
Our findings resulted in 14 requirements for NHS Lothian. Areas for improvement included:
- consistent completion and review of care records,
- improved communication with young people and their families,
- improved maintenance of the environment to ensure staff and patient safety, and
- meaningful activity to be consistently provided for children and young people, including evenings and weekends.
NHS Lothian have produced an action plan to address the requirements, and updates will be published alongside the full report.
The full inspection report is available on our website.