Hansard

My thoughts are with all those who are affected by mental ill health and suicide, and I extend my sincere thanks to those who are working so hard in front-line services to help people experiencing mental distress. I, too, thank the Lib Dems for bringing the debate to the chamber this afternoon.

It is fair to say that we all acknowledge that the mental health of people of all ages across Scotland has been impacted by the pandemic. It has been a particularly distressing time for young people, who have been at risk of isolation and loneliness while being separated from their peers during lockdowns. A survey conducted by YoungMinds last summer found that

“80% of respondents agreed that the coronavirus pandemic had made their mental health worse.”

Meanwhile, it has become even more difficult for them to access mental health support, as Covid-19 led to a 55 per cent reduction in referrals to CAMHS.

However, we know that mental health provision for young people was poor even prior to the pandemic, because rejected referrals to CAMHS meant that too many were being left without treatment for too long. We must urgently improve CAMHS provision by delivering the resources and workforce that such services need, but we must also ensure that our young people are supported in the community while they await referral.

Local general practitioners’ surgeries will, of course, play an important role in addressing the current mental health crisis. GPs will be on the front line in any surge in mental health cases, as they are often our first port of call when we are unwell. The number of mental health clinicians who work in local surgeries must be bolstered to cope with such demand and to ensure that patients can access mental health support when they need it.

All too often, GPs are faced with either referring patients to specialist mental health support, knowing that a long waiting list or a rejected referral awaits them, or leaving them with no support at all. Community link workers can help to direct patients to support in the community, but they are often hampered by a lack of awareness of what provision is available and by the precarious nature of funding for voluntary and community organisations. The Government must undertake a mapping exercise so that we know what levels of community resources are available and can address any gaps in provision.

The Scottish Association for Mental Health is calling for an expanded network of psychological wellbeing supports, based within the third and voluntary sectors, which can be accessed quickly through self-referral, community-based triage or GP referral. I urge the cabinet secretary to give that proposal serious consideration.

The financial impact of Covid has also affected mental health services. In the debate referred to in Alex Cole-Hamilton’s motion, I spoke about the impact of the UK Government’s welfare reform on mental health. The minister was right also to refer to it in her amendment. The pandemic has highlighted the link between financial instability and poor mental health. The Mental Health Foundation says that

“groups affected by socioeconomic inequalities have been more likely to experience anxiety, panic, hopelessness, loneliness, and to report not coping well with the stress of the pandemic.”

Low income, unmanageable debt, unemployment, poor housing conditions and other socioeconomic factors all contribute to high suicide rates. We know that living in poverty takes a terrible toll on mental and physical wellbeing, so any preventative approach must address the link between mental health, inequality and poverty. If we fail to tackle the root causes of poor mental health, the challenge faced by mental health services will be insurmountable.

We must also recognise that not everyone has been equally affected by the pandemic. We need to improve our understanding of how people from ethnic minorities in Scotland have been affected by Covid if we are to avoid further worsening of existing health inequalities, including mental health ones, and to address the disproportionate impact of Covid on our black and minority ethnic communities.

We need to future proof our services and ensure that long-term workforce planning is taking place. Mental health services were overburdened and understaffed before the pandemic. The Parliament was debating waiting times and rejected referrals long before we had heard of Covid-19. We must act now to ensure that our mental health services can continue to support us now and for generations to come.