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New Craigs patient Emma Muir from Thurso feels trapped after four year stay in Inverness hospital


By Louise Glen

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Emma Muir.
Emma Muir.

A woman from Thurso who has spent four years in a New Craigs hospital ward says she feels trapped.

Emma Muir (22) is pleading with health board officials in Inverness to help find her support so she can get on with her life.

But it appears no care can be found to support her at home.

Miss Muir arrived at New Craigs suffering with a mental health condition in October 2017.

She has since been diagnosed with a number of mental health conditions, including anxiety. But is currently not using medication or receiving any therapies for her mental health.

Speaking from her hospital room, she said: “I thought I would be in hospital for a few weeks, maybe a month when I first came into hospital.

“But almost four years later I am still here.

“How can this even be possible? I thought it was illegal to keep patients locked up.

“I have friends and family outside New Craigs, but I am still here.”

She fears for her safety in the hospital after incidents involving other patients.

Miss Muir, originally from Thurso, said: “I am completely trapped. I just want to lead a life outside these walls.

“I want all the things other people want. I am not on medication. I have a house that has been lying empty because my social worker cannot find me the support I need in the community.

“I feel like I have been left behind and forgotten about; I feel as though no-one cares about me. I am 22, I should be doing all the normal things that 22-year-olds are doing.

“And I can’t. No-one is really making any effort to get me out of here.”

A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “The safety of our patients is of paramount importance and we take any concerns raised seriously.

“We are unable to comment on individual circumstances but recognise that sometimes people are not able to move out of hospital as quickly as we would all like, due to the availability of support in alternative settings.

“We are actively working with our partners to address this.”

READ: Taskforce to tackle mental health crisis in the Highlands


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