Question reference: S5W-00355
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 1 June 2016
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Current status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 14 June 2016
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much of the £150 million announced for mental health in 2015 (a) has been and (b) will be allocated to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and what percentage of total NHS spending will be on CAMHS as a result.
Answer
Scottish Government funding have been investing heavily in mental health services for a number of years, and will use the additional package of £150 million to deliver the transformation in mental health services we want to achieve over the next ten years, including for children and young people. Elements of this funding will be specifically for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and elements will indirectly support CAMHS through improving access to services and supporting prevention and early intervention which will have an impact on demand for CAMHS services, as below:
We are investing £54.1 million to support further reduction in waiting times for CAMHS and psychological therapies: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Mental-health-funding-2139.aspx;
We are investing £15 million in a mental health innovation fund to support better access to CAMHS and to develop innovative approaches to delivering mental health services: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Mental-health-innovation-1737.aspx and
We are investing £10 million to support new ways of improving mental health in primary care settings, which will support children and young people in the community and reduce pressures on CAMHS specialist services: http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/Transforming-GP-and-mental-health-services-22bf.aspx.
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 – but also increase support for early intervention and prevention, to support children and young people to stay well and only be referred to CAMHS when necessary.
NHS Scotland funding: The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to NHS boards and local authorities to support implementation of policy, which includes support for children and young people with mental health challenges.
NHS boards will report future spend on mental health including CAMHS to Information Services Division Scotland through existing mechanisms. We will expect future spend by NHS Scotland on mental health and CAMHS to the reflect national priority and need, and to reflect the additional investment the Scottish Government has made available.