Meeting of the Parliament 06 January 2015
There is a difference, because south of the border the Government has provided in legislation that there is parity.
The Government motion makes no great reference to the pressure on NHS services. I have expressed concern about that in the Parliament on many occasions. A consensus is emerging that the issue needs to be addressed now, which is to be welcomed, as is the investment. However, that is not enough. The Scottish Government needs to acknowledge the weaknesses in the system if the situation is to improve.
One in four people will suffer mental ill health at some point in their life. Some 10 per cent of children and young people in Scotland have mental health problems that are so significant as to have an impact on their daily lives. If people do not receive proper support and treatment, the impact of mental ill health can be devastating—it can affect education, work, home life and relationships.
For every individual, getting the right treatment and support quickly is essential. However, it is clear that people in Scotland are not getting the services that they need and deserve. NHS boards are failing to meet targets that the Scottish Government set. For example, 90 per cent of young people who need treatment should be seen within 26 weeks but, in six of Scotland’s 14 health board areas, that is not happening. There has been a 12 per cent increase in the number of children and young people who are waiting more than six months for treatment.
SAMH said in its briefing for the debate that it will be impossible to meet the 18-week target for psychological therapies. The most recent figures show that only four out of 14 health boards meet the 90 per cent target and that more than 14,000 people are waiting to be seen across the country.
SAMH reported that two fifths of GPs say that they have not referred anyone for psychological therapies recently, because waiting times are too long. Therefore, the current level of referrals does not reflect need. Even so, people are waiting too long and targets are being missed.
The Scottish Government’s pledge of £15 million over three years for improvements in mental health services at primary care level is welcome, but the funding is not enough to secure the transformation that we need. The issue is not just waiting times but the environment in which we treat vulnerable young people. The guidelines make it clear that young people should be treated in adult psychiatric units only in exceptional cases, but the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland found that last year 202 young people were treated in adult wards—the number was up from 177 in the previous year.
Because Scotland has no specialist secure healthcare services for young people, young people are placed in specialist units in England, which makes it difficult for them to retain links with their families and local services. That approach is also expensive, of course.
All mental health services need to be the best that they can be. They need to be evidence led and responsive to local demand. Individuals should receive the care that they need in the setting that is most appropriate for them, no matter where they live.
I move amendment S4M-11975.1, to leave out from “welcomes” to end and insert:
“notes that, since 2009, there have been 883 fewer staffed mental health beds and that Scotland’s hospitals have lost 64 specialist mental health nurses; further notes that targets for mental health treatment times are being missed; is concerned that hundreds of young people face waits of over six months to begin child and adolescent mental health service treatment and that treatment is being carried out in adult wards, which are unsuitable for children’s needs; believes the number of mental health officers (MHO) to be inadequate as highlighted by the 5% fall in MHO consents for emergency detention in hospital; recognises that nine out of 10 people who experience mental health problems have experienced stigma and discrimination; believes that there is a real opportunity to change the way that mental health is seen and treated in 2015 with a revised mental health strategy, and calls on the Scottish Government to act now and follow the lead of the UK Government and set out in legislation that mental health and physical health deserve equal recognition.”
16:38Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.
- S4M-11975.1 Mental Health Motion