Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 February 2021
I thank members across the chamber for their input. The debate is especially timely, given our announcement yesterday of an additional £120 million of funding for our mental health recovery and renewal fund. The mental health of Scotland’s population remains a top priority for the Government.
The impact of Covid on the whole population is wide ranging, and our understanding of it will evolve as the pandemic progresses. We already know that the pandemic has exacerbated underlying inequalities, particularly for those with pre-existing mental illness.
The mental health transition and recovery plan and the investments that I outlined in my opening speech give a sense of the Government’s priorities. We are entirely focused on meeting the pandemic’s substantial challenges to mental health and wellbeing for both those with pre-existing mental illness and those who are experiencing mental health problems for the first time.
We must act now. We must ensure that appropriate, timely and effective support is available to all who need it. In particular, we must ensure that the best possible mental health care and support is in place for Scotland’s children and young people—Scotland’s future generations.
As members know, the actions that are set out in our transition and recovery plan summarise the range of our response to Covid-19. We know that there will be impacts in terms of inequalities, employability, relationships, people having pre-existing mental health conditions and people needing specialist help. Our recovery and renewal fund will ensure the delivery of the plan.
Many important points have been raised during the debate, and I will address some of them. Donald Cameron and Brian Whittle accused me and the Scottish Government of Westminster blaming. However, we know that poverty is among the biggest drivers of poor mental health and that cutting people’s benefits and imposing rape clauses are among the biggest drivers of poor mental health and poverty. They need to own that. [Interruption.] No, I will not take an intervention.
Donald Cameron accused the Scottish Government of not being on track to deliver the 800 mental health workers mentioned in action 15 of the strategy. I assure Mr Cameron that we are on track to have 800 mental health workers in place by the end of the 2022 financial year.
Mary Fee called for action, and that is precisely what the Government has taken in expanding services throughout the pandemic and laying out a clear plan for the recovery of mental health services.
I ask Pauline McNeill to read the transition and recovery plan. I acknowledge that she is new to this particular area of mental health, and that might address some of the concerns that she raised in her speech.
Alison Johnstone referred to several types of mental health need, including in employment. She also spoke about economic instability and the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on various groups of people. The transition and recovery plan covers those needs and lays out our response to the mental health impacts of the pandemic on a wide range of groups.
Over the past year, mental health has been talked about more than ever before. We continue to check in on our family, our loved ones and our colleagues as much as possible, and we have learned that self-care is key, as is continued access to specialist support for those who need it. There are no positives to what we have all been through over the past year, but Covid-19 has shone a light on mental health and the Government is rising to the challenge of ensuring that the right help is available in the right place and at the right time for those who need it.
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