Question reference: S5W-00354
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 1 June 2016
-
Current status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 June 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the report in The Herald on 21 April 2016 that “Ministers pledged an additional £150 million to improve mental health care in 2015 but…just over £80 million of this money has been earmarked for specific projects”, when the remaining £70 million will be allocated to projects.
Answer
We have been investing heavily in mental health services for a number of years, and are using the additional package of £150 million over five years to boost support for areas which are absolute priorities for us, and which will deliver the transformation in mental health services we want to achieve – including for children and young people. We are investing:
£54.1 million to support further reduction in waiting times.
£10 million to support new ways of improving mental health in primary care settings.
A £15 million mental health innovation fund to support better access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and to develop innovative approaches to delivering mental health services.
£1 million to support people with mental health problems to become more physically active manifesto commitment: mental and physical health treated equally; and £4.2 million to support people in crisis who turn to frontline services.
Our remaining package of funding will support the priorities in our forthcoming mental health strategy, to ensure we continue to improve access to services – including for children and young people. It will also focus on supporting early years and early interventions; improved support in primary care, and parity of esteem between physical and mental health so that we support people to keep well, whilst also providing treatment of the highest quality when it is necessary. We will take these decisions in conjunction with our stakeholders and partners.