Whistleblowers claim a recruitment crisis at the Carstairs high-security hospital is putting workers and patients at risk.
Bosses last night admitted they are experiencing “staffing challenges” that have forced them to change the way wards are run.
Staff told the Record patients are “not to be in their rooms unless it’s overnight” after several raised complaints about being “locked up” for long periods.
Patients include some of Scotland’s most notorious killers. One is Neil Cumming, who stabbed his wife Jane 36 times.
Also housed there is James Dunleavy, an “untreatable psychopath”, who killed his mum Philomena at his Edinburgh home in 2013 before cutting up her body and burying her in a shallow grave.
A source said: “It’s astonishing. Wards are being closed daily due to the current staffing crisis but in the wards that are being kept open, they are running with unsafe levels.
“This is because the patients have complained about being locked up. And despite it being a high-security hospital, the bizarre decision has been made that patients are not to be in their rooms unless it’s overnight.
“Random spot-checks are being carried out by management on the nursing division to ensure patients are NOT in their rooms.
“So this means the staffing is unsafe as it falls below minimum levels and therefore highly dangerous for staff to work in.
“It’s only a matter of time before something tragic happens.”
The whistleblowers have said the Lanarkshire hospital is “barely functioning” and bosses have been debating whether to implement an incident command protocol. The source said: “Incident command means emergency action is needed.
“But while they’re talking about unsafe staffing levels, dangerous prisoners are being allowed to roam in the wards with barely enough staff to keep on top of things and keep an eye on them.”
A Carstairs spokesperson said: “The State Hospital is experiencing short-term staffing challenges which are being managed through our resilience planning arrangements.
“This helps to ensure we best meet the needs of our patients, and also ensure a safe environment for patients and staff.”
NHS Lanarkshire, which runs Carstairs, was asked to comment.
