Hansard

This is an extremely important debate and I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak in support of the motion in the name of Kevin Stewart. That is why I am sorry that, before I get into my speech, I have to ask the minister whether, during his closing speech, he can inform me of what budget proposals Labour made to increase funding for mental health this year, last year or any year since 2007, or of whether Ms Mochan gave him the address of where Labour keeps the magic money tree. Labour does nobody any good by pretending that there is an easy solution to the problem of staffing in mental health services.

I know that the Scottish Government has been keen to make progress for some time on improving the situation for people who have been struggling with their mental health, and I note the progress that has been made through the introduction of community link support workers in many areas of the country.

As someone whose mental health has suffered during the pandemic, I think that it is vital to acknowledge the mental health challenges that Covid has posed for all of us. I am fortunate to have a partner who stays with me and family close by who understand my moods and my depression when things get bad, but there are many people who are unable to make use of their regular family support networks and are isolated from the people who are close to them, whether that is the result of geography or restrictions on visiting in hospital and care settings.

Given that the omicron variant is more transmissible than other variants, we cannot abandon all restrictions at this time. There is a difficult balance to strike between combating the threat that Covid poses and acknowledging the challenges of maintaining good mental health, which is clearly a major driver behind the implementation of this new policy, which marks a step change in the treatment of mental health in Scotland. In 2021, the Scottish Government announced the establishment of the £120 million mental health recovery and renewal fund, which has largely focused on the provision of community-based support. That huge fund is enabling the expansion of mental health services, including through the provision of 1,000 new roles.

It is not hyperbole to say that the additional mental health challenges that have been presented in the wake of Covid might not be fully felt for a generation, and I am pleased that the Scottish Government is taking action now to mitigate the detrimental health problems that we will face, alongside the issues that we face now.

The addition of 1,000 new roles in primary care settings will mark one of the biggest investments in the nation’s mental health in decades. It will lead to the development and implementation of innovative solutions at local level, by enabling teams to work together across multiple disciplines to enhance the care that our citizens receive when they need it the most.

I am pleased to see the recommendations in the 2017 mental health strategy begin to come to fruition. I have advocated for better and more accessible mental health services from the beginning of my time as an MSP, and I think that the Scottish Government is taking a large step in the right direction. I know that it is not a panacea for all the mental health problems that my fellow Scots are experiencing, but it is a big step in the right direction, which all parties in the Parliament should welcome.

Public Health Scotland estimates that adults who live in the most deprived areas are approximately twice as likely to have common mental health problems as people who live in the least deprived areas. We must address that as we consider ways to improve the mental health of our nation.

There are numerous reasons why people in deprived areas suffer more often from mental health issues—often to do with the frequency with which those people have to deal with problems that they do not have the means or support to deal with, which, not surprisingly, causes massive amounts of stress. I am talking about issues such as poor housing, family problems, unemployment, adverse childhood events and chronic health conditions, and behind most of those issues—if not all of them—lies the curse of poverty.

Mental health inequalities exist all over Scotland but, given the issues that I just highlighted, I would welcome any assurance from the minister that help will be targeted, where possible, at the more deprived areas of Scotland. I am the MSP for Glasgow Cathcart, a constituency that has a number of areas where a large number of people suffer from mental health issues, and last year I received an alarming number of reports of young men committing suicide in one area of my constituency.

We all know that, too often, such horrific events happen in areas where there are many unemployment and sickness benefit recipients. For some families, the last straw is the loss of any part of the meagre household income that they receive. For that reason—I am not saying that this is the only issue and I promise that I am not trying to make political capital here—I urge my Conservative colleagues to lobby their Government to reinstate the £20 universal credit uplift. That amount might not mean much to us, but it can make the difference to a young mother or parent with a child or children to feed and it can make the difference between choosing between heating and eating and being able to do both.

I am keen to ensure that people in deprived areas benefit the most from the increased staffing of mental health services. It is in those areas that the increases can do the most good for my constituents, the city of Glasgow and the country as a whole, by helping people who have to negotiate many precarious aspects to their lives.

I warmly welcome the Scottish Government’s actions on mental health. I recognise that improvements to mental health services will transform the lives of many people who, in the past, have not been able to access the help that they needed.

I appreciate Kevin Stewart’s commitment to mental wellbeing. As Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care, he has worked hard on a brief that is particularly challenging at the moment. I am proud to see the Government taking concrete action on a long-standing problem in our society.

I look forward to seeing the new community-based support put in place. It will benefit many people in the area that I represent and it will, I hope, mitigate some of the health inequalities—in which mental health inequality has always played a large part—that are present in the more deprived areas.