Meeting of the Parliament 24 June 2015
I, too, commend the members of the Health and Sport Committee for their sterling work on the bill, and give credit for all the progress that is contained in it. I appreciate that it is a step in the right direction, but we would be failing in our duty to mental health if we did not put on record how much more there is to do.
In amendment 1, Jackie Baillie asked for a review. It is reasonable that the minister said that he would conduct a review, but we were promised the Sandra Grant review of mental health services in 2004. We thought that we were being very reasonable in giving that review 10 years to be completed, but 2014 came and went, and we are still waiting for it. I know that it is supposed to come later this year, but the Government needs a prod in the right direction.
In preparing for the debate, I looked at my closing speech on the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Bill in March 2003, which was made in the week before dissolution of Parliament. I said that it was with “a sigh of relief” rather than a sense of pride that I contemplated the passing of the bill, given the huge number of amendments that had been lodged. I said at the time—I think that others said it, as well—that the legislation would be effective only if health boards and local authorities gave it the priority that it deserved.
I looked up what the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill’s policy memorandum says about local authorities. Paragraph 168 states:
“The Scottish Government does not consider that the measures in the Bill have any disproportionate effect on local government.”
The policy memorandum also states:
“Mental health officers are affected by the terms of the Bill”.
It seems that the Scottish Government has not been listening to the many calls that have been made. I give credit to Jim Hume and many other members who have highlighted the drastic shortage of mental health officers across Scotland and the increased workload that Parliament has imposed on them. At Highland Council last week, it was stated that mental health officer reports that are legally required within three weeks under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 are taking three years. That patient group’s being unlikely to complain is not a good reason for not providing sufficient staff to ensure that support is given. I do not disagree with the abolition of ring-fenced funding for local authorities, but the Scottish Government should at the very least ensure that local authorities fulfil their statutory obligations in line with the bill that we will pass today and with previous acts of Parliament.
It is worth considering why mental health should be a priority. According to an Audit Scotland report, up to 75 per cent of people who use illegal drugs have a mental health issue. Up to 50 per cent of people with alcohol problems have a mental health issue—that is often called self-medication. Seven in every 10 prisoners are identified as having mental health problems, one in every three visits to a general practitioner is to do with a mental health issue, and about 9 per cent of our population are on anti-depressants.
The bill deals with access to treatment. The first Millan principle is:
“People with mental disorder should, wherever possible, retain the same rights and entitlements as those with other health needs.”
If those people have the same entitlements as others, why do only eight health boards meet the child and adolescent mental health services target of 90 per cent being seen within 18 weeks? In NHS Tayside, only 35 per cent of children are seen within 18 weeks, and there is a median wait of 49 weeks. That is not good enough. In March this year, 4,200 children waited to start treatment in a CAMH service, which is not good enough. If that was not bad enough, I was absolutely shocked to read that 17,530 people are on the waiting list for psychological therapies. That figure is up by 1,500 since the minister took office.
The Government needs to look at how positive mental health can influence physical health. We do not need more legislation; we simply need better understanding, more empathy and better working together. It need not cost more money.
18:35