Plans for new women's service at the State Hospital in Carstairs
Plans are underway to develop a national service within the State Hospital to meet the unique needs of women requiring high-secure forensic mental health services in Scotland, both in the short and longer-term.
The new facility is a dedicated women's service with capacity to care for up to six females. It will enable women to be treated in Scotland who previously could only have been placed at Rampton Hospital in England.
This development at the facility in Carstairs, South Lanarkshire, ensures that care can now be delivered closer to patients' families and communities, in a setting specifically designed to meet their complex needs.
The new service is being developed in two phases:
■ Phase 1 – To develop and implement both an Interim Women's Service Model and Outreach Service Model. The timeline for completion and go-live is July 2025 for both.
■ Phase 2 – To progress the planning for a medium- to longer-term service model over the coming years.
It is the intention that Phase 1 will integrate and co-locate with Phase 2 on its completion.
This bespoke women's service includes modern accommodation, treatment spaces and recreational areas designed to promote wellbeing, rehabilitation and recovery, while maintaining the necessary levels of safety and security.
Medical director Professor Lindsay Thomson said: 'The re-opening of a dedicated women's service in Scotland is a landmark moment for forensic mental healthcare in Scotland. It has been developed through close collaboration with patients, staff and external partners to ensure the care environment is therapeutic, respectful and responsive to the complex needs of females.
'It is an interim step as we work towards the development of a fully therapeutic service, that will offer long-term, sustainable support for women in high secure settings.
'I want to thank everyone involved in contributing to the design and delivery of this new facility.'
Strategically, this development supports 'The Independent Review into the Delivery of Forensic Mental Health Services in Scotland' published in 2021 (Recommendation 3); and 'The Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan 2023/25' published in November 2023 (Priority 8.1.2).
In January 2025, funding was confirmed by the Scottish Government to deliver Phase 1 and take the next step towards a longer-term service model in line with Phase 2.
Mental Wellbeing Minister Tom Arthur said: 'The opening of this facility follows recommendations from the Independent Forensic Mental Health Review and represents an important part of the national strategy to improve mental health services across Scotland.
'It reflects Scotland's commitment to developing specialist mental health services which are both person-centred and trauma informed.
'Importantly, by ensuring that women receive the right care in the right setting, the service supports public safety and offers reassurance to victims and their families that appropriate, secure treatment is in place. It also ensures they do not lose their entitlements under the Victim Notification Scheme when a patient is transferred out of Scotland.'
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