Castle Craig given clean bill of health
David O'Leary • Published 3 Feb 2012 09:30
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A PEEBLESSHIRE rehab clinic has been given top marks by government inspectors.
Castle Craig, near Blyth Bridge, was visited by Healthcare Improvement Scotland inspectors at the start of December, receiving the top rating in each of the three categories tested.
The 122-bed facility is a leading psychiatric hospital providing 24-hour care and treatment to adults with alcohol and drug misuse problems.
Established in 1988 by Peter and Dr. Margaret Ann McCann, treatment is delivered by a team of doctors, registered nurses and therapists under the supervision of a consultant psychiatrist.
The independent hospital scored 'very good' in quality of care and support, quality of environment and quality of staffing.
Speaking of the report, Susan Brimelow, chief inspector, said: "Overall, we found evidence at Castle Craig Hospital that service users are treated as individuals within a structured model of addiction treatment, that service users are cared for and supported by a committed and motivated multidisciplinary team, and that they are directly involved in all stages of their care.
"We noted that many of the recommendations from a previous inspection in 2010 had been addressed.
"As a result of this inspection, Castle Craig Hospital is required to address actions in relation to the management of medicines as these form the main part of the report. We will continue to carry out rigorous inspection to monitor Castle Craig Hospital's progress in addressing these issues."
Castle Craig chairman Peter McCann said: "We're thrilled with this report. This is the first time we've been inspected by Healthcare Improvement Scotland and compared to NHS hospitals, previously we were inspected by the Care Commission.
"We knew it would be tough but thanks to the dedication and hard work of all the staff we have excelled."
Peter also spoke of Scotland's long-running battle with alcohol misuse which is estimated to cost Scotland £2.25 billion per year in extra services across the NHS, police, courts, and social services.
He added "When my wife and I set up Castle Craig in 1988, alcohol misuse was relatively tame compared to what it is now. The problem has become much, much bigger and continues to grow.
"We are receiving young women now in their early 20s with severe liver damage. I feel more needs to be done by local authorities to refer cases to us sooner, care in the community is not sufficient for complex problems such as these.
"Eventually the community care model can't cope and the patient is referred to us however by then it's too late for us to do anything meaningful."
This article appeared in Peeblesshire News 03 Feb 12
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