Meeting of the Parliament 28 May 2025
The debate has certainly brought to light our urgent need to strengthen the way in which we support people with neurodevelopmental conditions across Scotland. I thank colleagues for their thoughtful contributions. It is good to see widespread recognition of the challenge, its scale and the opportunity that we have to improve provision.
Willie Rennie pointed out that a medicalised route is not necessarily needed for everyone, and nor is it best in some cases. We just heard from Christine Grahame about the need for early intervention at school or nursery, whereby, if we provide appropriate and tailored support, we may not need medical interventions. Elena Whitham and others raised the challenge of constituents’ families being pushed around the system, having had an indication from a GP of a potential diagnosis but being unable to get one, as well as the need to ensure that local areas are properly resourced. Willie Rennie and Annie Wells spoke about young people having to wait for so long that they will no longer be children. Claire Baker spoke about the third sector community groups in her constituency that offer incredible support to families but said that such support should be delivered through the NHS.
There are key actions. There is no doubt that the current system is under serious strain. Families and individuals are waiting for far too long for assessment, treatment and support. Rightly, the motion
“calls on the Scottish Government to work urgently with NHS boards and local authorities”
to improve
“shared care arrangements”.
The recommendations from the NAIT and the Royal College of Psychiatrists are clear: we need dedicated adult neurodevelopmental pathways and stepped care models. The on-going scoping work on demand and capacity and the use of local neurodevelopmental data are essential, but data collection must not delay decisive action. We cannot afford to wait while individuals and families remain in limbo.
I express sincere thanks to NHS staff, local authority teams and third sector organisations that continue to provide vital neurodevelopmental and mental health services. They fulfil their roles often under immense pressure. I hope that the debate can be the beginning of a focused and sustained effort to listen to those with lived experience, learn from evidence and urgently deliver the real change that is needed.
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