Meeting of the Parliament 25 September 2018
I thank the minister for advance sight of her statement.
I welcomed the Scottish Government’s commitments in its recent programme for government, because we all want mental health to receive the focus that it desperately needs. However, the statement misses the point somewhat. Since the strategy was introduced last year, CAMHS waiting times have been the worst on record; an audit into rejected referrals has highlighted a consistent rate of one in five children and young people being rejected for treatment; and an Audit Scotland report has described children’s mental health services as “complex and fragmented”.
We have heard many warm words—particularly about early intervention and prevention—but things do not seem to be moving in the right direction. When I have asked about additional mental health workers, community link workers, school counsellors and nurses, I have got nowhere fast. Detail seems to be lacking.
It is interesting that the minister said that we need to move away from the focus on waiting times and workforce statistics, but surely those figures are necessary to know that the strategy is heading in the right direction.
What does the minister suggest as an alternative measure of progress? When will we see the delivery plan for the recruitment of additional school nurses and counsellors? Does she truly believe that the commitments that were made in the programme for government will produce a step change, particularly in early intervention and prevention?