Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 February 2021
Thank you, Presiding Officer. The year 2020 was consumed by the pandemic, which has affected everyone and changed all aspects of our lives. It has caused much stress, loneliness and grief—to many people. However, it has brought people and communities closer together, and there is now a greater emphasis on supporting local businesses, helping one another, being supportive and demonstrating kindness.
I remind the chamber that I am the co-convener of the cross-party group on mental health and deputy convener of the Health and Sport Committee. During the first lockdown, as a volunteer, I phoned people who were isolating and isolated.
The impact of the pandemic on mental health has been highlighted well in the Scottish Government’s mental health tracker study, which was published on Monday this week. Although the report makes for tough reading, it is important to remember that behind each number is a person—a loved one, a friend and a family member.
I will support the minister’s amendment, which focuses on proactive approaches to dealing with the national trauma that we face. Yesterday, during the Health and Sport Committee’s budget scrutiny, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport covered in detail the interventions that the Government is implementing to support many mental health actions. In response to the challenges, the Scottish Government has increased the support that is available to people who need it most. Children and young people, people who face redundancy, those with long-term physical health conditions and people with disabilities are among the key groups that the support focuses on.
An important example of that support is the distress brief intervention programme, which is an innovative programme that provides vital support to people who are experiencing emotional distress. If someone presents as being in distress to the emergency services or in a primary care setting, the distress brief intervention programme can offer them a call from a trained operator within 24 hours. They will then be provided with up to two weeks of one-to-one support to help them to address issues that might be contributing to their distress. As part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new pathway to the DBI service was created through NHS 24’s mental health hub, and it has been used by more than 12,800 people, which is welcome.
Last year, I raised with the minister the issue of support for our front-line workers, including our NHS staff. As part of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s vaccination team, I have heard directly from health and care staff about the extent to which they are coping—or not coping—with their mental health at this time. I am pleased that, since the beginning of the pandemic, the Scottish Government has provided more than £18 million, which has included support for our front-line workers. Extra capacity for computerised cognitive behavioural therapy, which has been a lifeline for many front-line and NHS workers, has been supported through the provision of £1.2 million. I encourage the minister to ensure that those services continue to be available, and to be expanded as the need arises.
I have also raised the issue of support for people in areas of rural Scotland, such as Dumfries and Galloway, where social isolation and loneliness have worsened during the pandemic. I thank Support in Mind and RSABI for their fantastic work in combating rural isolation and supporting mental health. I would be grateful if the minister could outline specifically what support is available for people in rural areas.
I want to highlight the work of Fixing Us, which grew out of the fixing dad organisation. It is an excellent example of how to build a healthier Scotland, both physically and mentally, through a social prescribing approach.
I welcome the steps that the Government is taking, and I reiterate that we need to continue to ensure that folk are supported as much as possible during this extremely challenging time.