SCOTLAND’S biggest health board has begun investigating allegations of cruelty at a mental health unit described as “hell” by its teenage patients.

The revelations came to light in as part of a BBC Scotland Disclosure programme, aired on Monday, which listened to the experiences of young people treated at Skye House, on the estate of Glasgow’s Stobhill Hospital, between 2017 and 2024.

Young women who had stayed at the 24-bed unit described a regime where, amid a recruitment crisis, inexperienced temporary staff routinely delivered verbal abuse, were quick to resort to forceful restraint and over-medicated distressed patients — effectively chemically coshing them.

One, named by the programme as Cara, was forced to clean up her own blood after self-harming by a staff member who branded her “disgusting.”

She said: “They would give me wipes and I’d be made to wipe the floor. It felt like a punishment, as if I’d done it on purpose.

“I just felt like I was constantly punished for things.”

Jenna, who spent nine months at the unit from the age of 16, said: “It was hell, like a prison kind of environment.”

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde medical director Dr Scott Davidson said he was “grateful to our young patients for speaking up,” adding: “We sincerely apologise to any patient at Skye House who has not received the level of care they expected.

“In light of these experiences and of the accounts of other patients, a full review of the quality of care has been launched.

“We have also asked for an independent review of the unit.

“I would encourage any family member or patient who might have any concerns or questions about the care provided to them at Skye House to contact us, we are keen to hear from you.”

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “This story makes for distressing reading and our sincere sympathies go out to all those who have been affected.

“The board has assured us that a full review of the quality of care has been launched and an independent review is being commissioned.

“To provide further assurance, ministers have asked the Mental Welfare Commission and Healthcare Improvement Scotland to undertake a programme of joint visits to all three mental health adolescent inpatient units and the National Child Inpatient Unit, with a focus on care quality, patient safety and patient experience across these vital services.”