Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 17 May 2023
17 May 2023 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Mental Health Crisis
I thank Jackie Baillie for bringing this debate on mental health awareness week to the chamber. Mental health is a fundamentally important topic for all parties.
This year’s theme—anxiety—is an important one. Many of us will have had direct experience of it over the past few years. Everything that I will briefly touch on during my opening remarks comes back to one core message, which is related to the theme of this week: if you need help for your mental health, please ask for it.
Nobody is saying that we already have a perfect system. Jackie Baillie’s motion highlights some legitimate concerns that the Government shares. We hear from individuals, families and our workforce that there can be issues and frustrations with finding and receiving the right help.
We know that we need a power of additional work if we are to see the right services and support consistently in place for the people of Scotland. Our forthcoming mental health and wellbeing strategy, which we will publish in the coming weeks, will describe that work.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-08955, in the name of Jackie Baillie, on tackling Scotland’s mental health crisis. I invite members who w...
Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Lab
This week is mental health awareness week. Although much progress has been made, in recent years, in how mental health is treated and regarded, so much more ...
The Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport (Maree Todd)
SNP
I thank Jackie Baillie for bringing this debate on mental health awareness week to the chamber. Mental health is a fundamentally important topic for all part...
Daniel Johnson (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Lab
Does the minister recognise that the concern goes far beyond mere frustration, that access to those services is sometimes impossible and that diagnosis of th...
Maree Todd
SNP
I do not agree with that characterisation of the situation that we are in. I acknowledge that some children have been waiting too long for child and adolesce...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Maree Todd
SNP
I really must make some progress, because I have time for only a short opening speech. We will publish the accompanying delivery and workforce plans after t...
Sue Webber
Con
Audit Scotland will publish its report on adult mental health services next month. Is the minister confident that the report will be positive for the Governm...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Minister, I can give you a bit of time back.
Maree Todd
SNP
Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. As always with Audit Scotland reports, I am confident that the Government will read with interest and take on...
Jackie Baillie
Lab
Will the minister take an intervention?
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
The minister is concluding. Minister, you need to wind up.
Maree Todd
SNP
In my closing minutes, we know that boards face—
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
No, you are concluding, minister.
Maree Todd
SNP
We know that boards face a range of pressures but, equally, spending needs to ensure parity between mental and physical health. Our workforce across service...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
No, minister—you must conclude and move your amendment.
Maree Todd
SNP
Okay. In the spirit of realistic but ambitious improvement, I move amendment S6M-08955.3, to leave out from first “and” to end and insert: “; understands th...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Thank you, minister. There really is very little time in hand, so members will have to stick to their allocated speaking times. I call Sue Webber to speak t...
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
This week is mental health awareness week, and this year’s official theme is anxiety. More than half of Scots who were surveyed said that anxiety interferes ...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Ms Webber, you must conclude.
Sue Webber
Con
I thought that I had five minutes. I move amendment S6M-08955.1, to insert at end: “; raises the issue of increased levels of mental illness among NHS staf...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
Apologies—I know that there is a lot of interest and a willingness to engage in the debate, but these short debates do not allow for that and I need to prote...
Alex Cole-Hamilton (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
LD
Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will be brief. I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in the debate and I thank Jackie Baillie for bringing it to the cha...
Michael Marra (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
On 12 May 2022, I raised the plight of my constituent, Ryan Caswell, at First Minister’s question time. At that point, Ryan had been a delayed discharge pati...
Clare Haughey (Rutherglen) (SNP)
SNP
I remind members that I am a registered mental health nurse, with current Nursing and Midwifery Council registration. Having been a mental health nurse for ...
Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
Poor mental health is a serious public health challenge. Most of all, it can be very frightening and isolating for those who experience it. The reality is t...
Foysol Choudhury (Lothian) (Lab)
Lab
Scotland’s mental health crisis has reached breaking point. Currently, more than 30,000 people are on a waiting list for mental health support; mental health...
Christine Grahame (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
SNP
I know simply from my casework about the pressure on mental health services. It is a pressure that, in my 24 years as an MSP, I have not seen before. Althoug...
Gillian Mackay (Central Scotland) (Green)
Green
I will focus my remarks on two issues. One is something that I believe we should do more of to protect mental wellbeing and the other is a measure that I hop...