An extra £1 million will be spent upgrading a “neglected” unit at the Royal Cornhill Hospital in Aberdeen after bosses branded it “one of the poorest in NHS Grampian”.
Improvements will be carried out at the Blair Forensic Unit following concerns it doesn’t meet current safety or security standards.
The locked facility provides “low secure” care to patients from across Grampian, Orkney and Shetland – with a maximum intake of eight people.
It was built around 35 years ago to regulations thought appropriate in the early 1980s, but a number of upgrades are now required after years of damning inspections.
The issues were flagged in reports by the Forensic Mental Health Review, Mental Welfare Commission and Healthcare Improvement Scotland.
What did inspectors make of grotty Cornhill unit?
The dossiers raising concerns date back a number of years.
A Mental Welfare Commission report produced following an unannounced visit back in October 2021 raised several issues.
It suggested furnishings and decoration in the intensive psychiatric care unit (IPCU) were “tired looking” while parts “appeared neglected”.
Meanwhile, it stated there was no safe interview room or one-to-one space and the quiet room “offered no privacy” for patients.
The shared bathrooms were also found to have mould.
A follow-up visit in August last year set further alarm bells ringing.
Inspectors noted: “Windows did not open and the only fresh air that came into the unit was when the door which led to the enclosed garden was opened.
“The rooms were exactly the same as last year, where large blocks of wood had been fitted on parts of the wall to cover holes and damage.
“The unit only had one communal area in which individuals ate their meals, watched TV, carried out activities and played pool.”
What will the £1m be spent on?
The proposed works will address “high priority” areas in the city unit.
It includes bringing external fencing up to standards, replacing windows and refurbishing the bathrooms.
There will also be “ligature reduction works” carried out throughout the building, with ceilings and radiator covers to be changed.
Meanwhile, fire precautions and lighting will be improved and steps will be taken to reduce the chance of items being used as weapons by patients.
The first phase of these works was priced at £1m and will get under way later this month.
They are expected to be done by the summer.
NHS Grampian Cornhill upgrades hailed as ‘money well spent’
Members of the NHS Grampian board met earlier today to approve a further £1m for the upgrades.
Infrastructure chief Alan Wilson told board members that the investment was “money well spent”.
He added: “This buys us time in an environment that is one of the poorest in NHS Grampian.
“It gives us that opportunity over the next 10 years to plan out, potentially, what a new unit would look like and the shape that would take.”
However, Mr Wilson confirmed that the external building would be good for another 30 years, adding: “That’s not an issue whatsoever.”
He also told the board that works would be carried out in phases to ensure there would be no disruption to patients.
NHS Grampian board told of ‘wise investment’ at Cornhill unit
While Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership chief Fiona Mitchelhill bluntly stated that the work was “desperately required”.
“We are regularly visited by the Mental Welfare Commission and every time, they bring up the standard of that building,” she explained.
“They raised the standards of the forensics services that people are in and we are definitely in a very poor state.”
Ms Mitchelhill also said the upgrades would be beneficial for patients until a new facility is built, however that would be “many years away”.
“It’s a wise investment at the minute to make sure the people are in a much better standard of facility than they are currently,” she added.
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