Legal issues
There are only a small number of inpatient units for children and young people in Scotland.Levels of detention varied between units we visited. In one unit all but 1 patients were detained, in another a quarter of patients were detained while one unit that specialises in eating disorders had no detentions at all.
Where young people were receiving care and treatment on an informal basis, they had generally been informed of their rights as voluntary patients.Some of the voluntary patients reported that they had been physically stopped from doing something they wanted to do but staff had talked to them afterwards and explained why they had intervened.Where young people had been detained and reported that they had been physically stopped by staff from doing something they wanted to do they advised that no one took time to explain and talk to them afterwards.
All units provide verbal and written information to young people about the unit and their legal rights if they are detained.We found documented evidence of this in all but a small minority of cases we looked at. Young people within specialist units also all have access to specialist advocacy services.
At the time of our visit half of the units were locked, meaning young people couldn't leave without staff intervention.One unit had a policy of never locking the door, all other units did have a policy in place for when the door is locked.
Consent to treatment was recorded in approximately a third of the case notes of young people who were in hospital on an informal basis. In two cases, parental authority was being appropriately used.Covert medication was not being used within any of the units when we visited.
