NHS Western Isles welcomes findings of Mental Health Inspection

NHS Western Isles has welcomed the publication of a Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) unannounced inspection report into mental health services at Western Isles Hospital, which has highlighted a number of strengths in care delivery, alongside areas for further improvement.

The inspection, carried out by Healthcare Improvement Scotland in February 2026, focused on the safe delivery of care within the Acute Psychiatric Unit.

Inspectors found evidence that staff are delivering trauma informed interventions to reduce distress and promote wellbeing. Patients who spoke to inspectors described the unit as a safe environment, with care described as responsive.

Good practice was also noted in infection prevention and control, and a new patient feedback questionnaire is being introduced to strengthen patient experience and engagement.

The report highlights good compliance with infection prevention and control standards. It also states that staff spoke about ‘visible, supportive leadership and effective teamwork’ and that they described NHS Western Isles as a good place to work.

The inspection recognised the challenges associated with delivering mental health services in a remote and rural setting, including capacity constraints and access to specialist inpatient beds for patients with complex needs.

The report identifies a number of areas for improvement, including training completion, governance of policies and procedures, care documentation and ensuring consistency in access to therapeutic activity. NHS Western Isles has already developed an improvement action plan to address these requirements.

Chief Executive of NHS Western Isles, Gordon Jamieson, said: “We welcome this report and the opportunity it provides to identify areas for improvement. We are pleased that it recognises the compassion, professionalism and dedication of our mental health staff.

“Delivering safe, high-quality care in an island setting brings additional challenges, and I am proud that our teams continue to provide a supportive and therapeutic environment for patients.

“We fully accept the areas for improvement identified and are making progress to address these. This work is already underway, and we are committed to ensuring our services continue to improve for the people we serve.”

The full report is available at: