Mental health charity reveals stranded students are suffering during lockdown in Dundee

Mental health charity reveals stranded students are suffering during lockdown in Dundee

A leading mental health charity has said stranded students in Dundee are feeling the biggest strain during lockdown.

Feeling Strong, which offers support to young people who are suffer mental health issues, have said there has been an increase in worries among many in the city.

But, according to Marla Heier, lead volunteer at Feeling Strong, students attending universities in Dundee have been left feeling isolated, with coronavirus restrictions meaning some haven’t seen loved ones in month.

Ms Heier said: “Young people are definitely having increased mental health worries as a result of lockdown.

“Some of the worst affected are students who chose to stay in the city when lockdown began.

“Many believed it would maybe only last for around a month.

“Now we are several months in and for many it has been impossible to leave the city or to go home.

“Some of these students can’t leave Dundee to go to  home because their families are shielding or have vulnerable members.

“Other students from foreign countries are also unable to go home and for them the situation is worse because they are so far from their loved ones.”

In January, Feeling Strong opened a community hub in Stobswell aiming to deliver a number of services for the young people of the city.

The hub is also designed to be a one stop shop for those who are indeed of support.

However, throughout lockdown, the base has been closed to its users.

Although unable to physically meet with those struggling, volunteers at Feeling Strong been able to offer counselling online.

Ms Heier said: “We are regularly in touch with some people who have turned to us for help and we have also provided advice and support to people who have come to us  even once.

“We can offer peer support but they can also signpost and make referrals to other groups in the city who can also offer to help.”

“Hopefully we are providing a lifeline for young people who may be facing this current crisis alone and feel they have no one else to talk to.”

Feeling strong can be contacted at  www.feelingstrong.co.uk or at www.calendly.com/feelingstrong/drop-in-hub.

 

Link to Evening Telegraph article here 

Emergency services attend as woman is rescued from the Tay

Emergency services attend as woman is rescued from the Tay

A female was rescued from the Tay by emergency services late last night.

The woman, who has not been identified, was hauled out of the water close to City Quay just before 11.30pm.

She was transferred to a waiting ambulance. The woman was reported to be very cold but otherwise uninjured.

Emergency services including Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, Broughty Ferry Lifeboat crew and two coastguard teams from Dundee and Arbroath raced to the scene shortly after the alarm was raised at 10.55pm.

A spokesman for HM Coastguard said they received a call from police saying that a female was in the water just off City Quay.

The spokesman said: “Emergency services, including both Broughty Ferry lifeboats, raced to the scene to the woman’s aid.

“The woman was traced by the RNLI crew and she was pulled on to the inshore lifeboat.

“She was then transferred to a waiting ambulance. She was conscious and breathing but was very cold.”

The Tay rescue is the second in three days for the volunteer Broughty Ferry lifeboat crew.

On Sunday they rescued a woman who was seen to enter the water opposite City Quay and began swimming out into the river.

The woman, who had been overwhelmed by the current, was saved by the crew of Broughty Ferry lifeboat who managed to haul her out of the water just as she was going under.

A spokeswoman for Police Scotland said: “Around 11.10pm on Tuesday, 16 June, police were called to a report of a woman in the River Tay near to City Quay in Dundee.

“The woman was rescued from the water and taken by ambulance to Ninewells Hospital to be checked over then later released.”

 

Link to Evening Telegraph story here  

 

 

Carseview Centre intensive care unit praised by inspectors after visit to mental health hospital

Carseview Centre intensive care unit praised by inspectors after visit to mental health hospital

Inspectors have commended staff at a Dundee mental health unit following a visit earlier this year.

The Mental Welfare Commission Scotland said patients in the 10-bed intensive psychiatric care unit at Carseview Centre spoke positively about the care and support they received and said staff had a supportive manner.

It also said nursing students were well supported and patients’ care plans were detailed, person-centred and clearly structured with good information about specific needs and interventions.

The Carseview Centre, Dundee.

Johnathan Maclennan, lead nurse for mental health and learning disabilities at NHS Tayside, said: “This report recognises and demonstrates the commitment of the intensive psychiatric care unit team to high quality, person-centred, rights-based, least restrictive care.

“The team should be incredibly proud of the work undertaken – and ongoing – to improve the overall care experience, which also includes working towards accreditation as part of the Royal College of Psychiatry quality network for psychiatric intensive care units.”

One recommendation the inspectors made was to provide more storage space for patients’ belonging, and NHS Tayside has said it has already addressed this by adding new bedroom furniture where needed.

Since the commission’s last visit to the unit, staff have worked to reduce one-to-one observations and have also bought more outdoor furniture to provide therapeutic outdoor spaces for the patients.

 

Link to Evening Telegraph article here