£100M To Improve Mental Health Care

A total of £100 million will be spent improving mental health services in Scotland over the next five years, the Scottish Government has announced.

It comes after ministers revealed an extra £85 million is to be invested over the period, with some of the new money being used to provide more care for children and young people with mental health problems.

There has been a 35% increase in the number starting treatment from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the last two years.

The additional cash will also be used to promote better wellbeing through physical activity, as well as going on work to improve patients' rights and to help GPs treat those suffering from mental health problems.

The Scottish Government had already committed £15 million for funding innovation in mental health care, with the #85 million coming on top of that.

Jamie Hepburn, minister for health improvement, mental health and sport, said: Mental health services are an absolute priority of this Government. These are some of the most vulnerable people in our country and it's vital that the health service is properly equipped to give them the support and treatment they need."

We have been investing heavily for a number of years and waiting times have come down significantly, despite an unprecedented rise in the number of people seeking help. Scotland was the first country in the UK to have a mental health waiting times target - a sign of how importantly we view this issue."

There is still more work to be done. I'm delighted to be able to announce this £100 million investment which will make a real difference to people right across Scotland.''

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland associate director Norman Provan said: Nursing has a key role in improving access to mental health services and the quality of care provided."

There are many examples of nurses operating innovative services that improve care for people with mental health problems, not only in NHS services in hospitals and the community, but also in local authority services."

For example, in Drumchapel, Glasgow, a nurse left the NHS to set up a charity - COPE - which works with local people who have nowhere left to turn, supporting them through mental health crises and giving them the tools and support to be more resilient."

But while such innovative services make a huge difference, they are often subject to funding cuts, and don't know how long they'll be open and providing much-needed support. They and the people who rely on their services need to know that they will continue in the future."

Health and social care integration is a real opportunity to improve how mental health services are delivered."

So we need to see long-term investment by Scotland's new joint integration boards in services designed to meet the needs of our most vulnerable people.''

Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesman Jim Hume said: The Scottish Government needs to give equal status to mental ill health as physical illness."

"Under the SNP's watch the number of trained psychology professionals has dropped. A postcode lottery means people in some parts of Scotland are half as likely to get proper access as people in other parts."

We know that GPs are not referring patients for therapies because the therapies simply aren't there."

The Scottish Government needs a serious long-term plan to give proper support to the one in four people who experience mental health problems at some point in their life.''