Meeting of the Parliament (Hybrid) 17 February 2021
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought many challenges to the world and, in some cases, it has shone a light on the existing issues, including the mental health issues that are prevalent in Scotland. Rises in loneliness, anxiety, depression or suicidal feelings are common. Our mental health has never been more challenged than it is now, and, frankly, our systems are struggling to cope.
The facts speak for themselves. One in five children referred to specialist mental health services are being turned away; a quarter of those referred for psychological therapies wait at least four months to be seen; and deaths by suicide have risen over the past two years. I suspect that those are just the tip of the iceberg.
In NHS Highland, our mental health professionals are doing everything that they can to help those in need, but they are not being helped by the SNP Government or by their own health board. In the past four years, mental health provision has been downgraded. New Craigs hospital in Inverness has seen a reduction in beds and staff, and it has not been immune from the devastating impact of staff bullying, which has taken its toll on our mental health professionals, too.
New Craigs now has just two recovery teams and can only hope to help people when they reach a crisis. For some, that help comes too late. Help needs to come far sooner—more lives will be lost if we continue with a mental health system that only helps when people hit breaking point. At a time when highlanders need more and more help from mental health services, the Government is giving them less and less. The consequences of years of underfunding and underresourcing our mental health teams are stark.
In Caithness and Sutherland, we have reached a situation of increased reliance on the police to be the first line of defence in the community in helping those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts. Officers will see it as their duty to step in and help, but that is not their primary job and they are not trained to do it. Our young officers are being exposed to incredible stresses, some of which they cannot cope with.
We have a mental health crisis in the Highlands, and our mental health system is clearly not fit for purpose. The model is broken and needs to change urgently. First, we need mental health professionals to be embedded in our GP practices. Secondly, we need more collaboration between NHS Highland and mental health charities and support groups. The likes of James Support Group and Mikeysline, which are charities that do much to help highlanders who are impacted by mental health issues, must be part of the solution.
More needs to be done to raise public awareness of what support is available. How many people who need support know where and how to access it? The process must be made easier. We need to introduce effective online portals for mental health support so that people can be signposted to appropriate services and help groups in their area. That information should be handed over the first time that a patient presents themselves to their GP.
As lockdown restrictions are relaxed, we need in-person sessions to return. The reassuring physical presence of a therapist or members of a support group is vital to improving mental health. Video calls will always be a poor substitute.
The Highlands need a Scottish Government that is fully focused on improving mental health services. The Government that we have had for the past 14 years has not had such a focus; it is time for a Government that has.
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