Two mental health wards at Forth Valley Royal Hospital have been awarded accreditation status by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP) for their commitment to high quality care.

Currently only two other mental health facilities in Scotland have managed to gain accreditation status and since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of people experiencing severe mental illness, such as psychosis, who have required to be admitted to hospital for inpatient care and treatment.

To achieve this prestigious recognition, staff in Wards 2 and 3 in the Mental Health Unit had to meet around 300 standards to demonstrate their commitment to the delivery of high-quality care and treatment. The rigorous and demanding process to evidence the standards were being achieved and maintained took more than two years to complete.

Dr Jim Crabb, NHS Forth Valley’s Associate Medical Director for Mental Health and Consultant in General Adult Psychiatry, said: “Like the rest of the population, local staff have been impacted personally and professionally by the Covid-19 pandemic, but they continued to work tirelessly to care for some of the most vulnerable members of society. The fact that they have manged to develop a demonstrably excellent service and achieve accreditation whilst facing the many challenges of the last two years is simply awe inspiring.

“In addition to the RCP accreditation, we also recently received a letter of commendation from NHS Education for Scotland regarding the outstandingly positive feedback we have received from our medical trainees. The fact that our trainees feel so well supported reflects extremely well on local mental health services in NHS Forth Valley.”

Expressing his thanks to everyone involved in helping to achieve accreditation, Dr Crabb said that accreditation was not only a tremendous boost for local staff, but also sends out an extremely positive message for recruitment.

A local event was organised to celebrate the accreditation and thank all the staff involved in helping to achieve the national standards over the last two years.

Photo caption – L- R Andrew Murray, Medical Director, Katie Dickenson, Deputy Charge Nurse (Ward 3), Dr Jim Crabb, Associate Medical Director for Mental Health, Senior Charge Nurse Rebecca McLeish (ward 2) and Prof Frances Dodd, Executive Nurse Director.