Hansard

We certainly value the work of the third sector, and we work closely and engage with those organisations at Government and ministerial levels. If Jamie Greene acquaints himself with our plan, “Mental Health—Scotland’s Transition and Recovery”, he will see exactly where we are going with mental health services across the piece—from challenging stigma through to our specialist in-patient services.

The funding that I have described takes our total spend on mental health in 2021-22 to in excess of £1.2 billion. The recovery and renewal fund will ensure delivery of the mental health transition and recovery plan, and will prioritise our on-going work to improve specialist child and adolescent mental health services, address long waiting times and clear waiting-list backlogs.

Nearly £10 million will be allocated to clearing backlogs in psychological therapy waiting lists for adults, and we will provide significant additional support for mental health in primary care settings. We recognise the need to focus on supporting people at the earliest possible stage, so we will invest in enhanced community supports. That £120 million fund builds on the £20 million of dedicated funding that we had already announced over the course of the pandemic.

We have expanded the NHS 24 mental health hub so that it is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We have also increased the capacity of the Breathing Space telephone helpline and web support service. We have created extra capacity for computerised cognitive behavioural therapy, and our distress brief intervention programme has been rolled out nationally to provide rapid, accessible and focused one-to-one support for people who are in distress.

We have also invested in supporting children and young people by providing funding to local authorities to support the mental wellbeing of five to 24-year-olds in our communities, and to address the impact of the pandemic on children and young people.

In addition, our transition and recovery plan lays out more than 100 actions that are designed to support mental health needs across Scotland. The plan sets out our commitment to supporting the whole population’s mental wellbeing and summarises our work to address the impact of the pandemic on specific population groups. That includes children and young people, people with long-term physical conditions and disabilities, and those who are experiencing suicidal ideation, among many other types of need.

We need to remember that there is hope, and that there will be recovery. The success of the vaccination programme and, in time, the easing of restrictions, will play a significant part in that.

The Government will continue to work tirelessly to invest in the right mental health support and to target that help where it is needed most. Yes—this is the most challenging period that many of us will ever face in terms of our mental health and wellbeing. It has been traumatic and some people are really struggling, and our focus is on helping them to get through it.

I move amendment S5M-24138.3, to leave out from “, and now recognises” to end and insert:

“; further recalls that the motion as passed agreed that mental health and physical health must be treated with parity of esteem, welcomed additional investment in services, and that the mental wellbeing of some of the most vulnerable people in society has been negatively impacted by a series of welfare cuts by the UK Government, starting with the Welfare Reform Act 2012; believes that the Scottish Parliament must advocate solutions; recognises that the COVID-19 pandemic is taking a significant toll on the mental wellbeing of people across the country, and that recovery of NHS services must ensure that mental health has the same priority as physical health; welcomes that, in addition to the plans in the draft Budget for 2021-22, a further £120 million will be allocated for a Mental Health Recovery and Renewal Fund, which would take total planned spend on mental health in 2021-22 to in excess of £1.2 billion, and notes that the additional funding will help deliver the mental health recovery plan, including a headline focus to improve specialist CAMHS services and address long waits, supporting mental health in primary care settings, as well as nearly £10 million to speed up treatment for adults waiting for psychological therapies.”