The Commission was originally set up in 1960 under the Mental Health Act. Our duties are set out in current mental health and incapacity law.
We are accountable to Ministers at the Scottish Government for our statutory duties and how we spend public money. We carry out our work and produce reports independently from the Scottish Government.
The law says that we must have service users and carers on the Board. This means that the service user and carer voice is at the heart of our decision making.
We carry out our statutory duties by focussing on five main areas of work. They are:
- Visiting
- Monitoring the Acts
- Investigations
- Information and advice
- Influencing and challenging
Grants
Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland
Patients' Rights Care Pathway
Grant: £15,000
November 9, 2016
Individuals admitted to hospital with a mental illness, informally or detained, are often unaware of their human rights and rights under mental health law. An infographic patients’ rights care pathway for adult acute psychiatric care is being developed. A report evaluating this and highlighting good practice using the pathway will be published. This will support staff to recognise critical points to ensure patients are informed about and afforded specific rights.
Consultation involving service users, carers and staff has provided a wealth of information to help formulate a pathway identifying key rights from admission to discharge.
This funding is to produce short videos to promote systems and behavioural change in acute wards. The videos will be widely available via the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland website and partner organisations. Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland will also promote their use direct to staff during their regular visits to acute wards across Scotland.
| Increase Public Understanding | Advance High Quality Thinking | Increase Access to Employment |
| Staff in Voluntary Sector | ||
| Implications of Brexit | Legal Needs in Healthcare Settings | Influence the Online Court |
| Develop Robust Evidence Base | ||
| Understand Role of Technology | ||
| Law Reform, Policy and Regulation | ||
| Communications to Disseminate Learning | ||
