A ward at Gartnavel Royal Hospital is the first of its kind in Scotland to get accreditation by the Royal College of Psychiatrists for its care of acutely mentally ill patients.

The hospital’s Intensive Psychiatric Care Unit (IPCU) has gained the Quality Network for Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit. Patients in the unit have severe and complex mental illnesses.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists awarded the team with accreditation for demonstrating best practice and excellence in care.

The accreditation programme takes from six to nine months to achieve and is completed in three phases – self review, peer review by an external team and accreditation decision. The accreditation lasts for a period of three years.

This comes as the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland today praised NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde for being the only board to be accredited for rehabilitation services. These kind of services provide additional support for patients in a more open environment.

Colin McCormack, Head of Adult Services, North West Locality, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We are incredibly proud to receive the first ever accreditation for an IPCU in Scotland for the care we provide our mental health patients. Patients in an IPCU have complex and severe mental illness and associated health needs. This accreditation shows our team is able to provide the best care possible as we support them with recovery of their mental health."

During the peer review, a team of four professionals, a service user and/or carer representative all visited the ward.