Chamber and committees

Breathing Space is a free helpline service for people living with low mood or depression or who are unusually worried. Deputy Minister Mary Mulligan wrote to the member on 17 April, giving further information about the helpline.

The Breathing Space helpline provides confidential advice and support, as well as suggestions of services which callers may find useful in their own locality. The helpline operators have access to an extensive database of statutory and voluntary services, which is updated regularly so that, where necessary, callers can be referred to agencies and organisations best suited to their particular needs. Breathing Space does not provide counselling services, but some of the wide range of bodies, to which callers can be referred, do provide counselling.

The Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland and more recently Our National Health set the agenda for change and improvement in mental health services in Scotland. Agencies are working toward the benchmarks provided in those documents and the new Performance Assessment Framework which will provide one of a range of evaluation measures on progress made across Scotland. As to progress made since 1997, this is summarised in the Annual Reports, individual area assessment reports and the six-month progress reports published by the visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group. These are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre and on the support group website at: www.show.scot.nhs.uk/mhwbsg.

The arrangements for the provision of advice on voluntary organisations are a matter for local NHS organisations, in liaison with other agencies. Local Health Care Co-operatives and primary care teams have an important role in providing information regarding voluntary services to patients, carers and the public. General advice and information on voluntary organisations in Scotland can be accessed through the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. In addition, local information can be accessed through the national network of Councils for Voluntary Service and the local authority for each area.

The National Advisory Group has met twice, on 21 January and 29 April. Its initial focus is on overseeing the development of a national programme for improving mental health, which will have the two main components of information collection and a range of practical initiatives. Proposals for the former include a public attitudes survey, capacity building work for mental health improvement, and the establishment of a national resource to provide information to the field. Current practical initiatives include the continuing work on the National Framework for Reducing Suicide and Deliberate Self harm, the Breathing Space Phoneline for people with low mood or depression introduced on 8 April, the National Anti-Stigma Campaign, which is being led by People Too, and research work on mental health in the workplace, which is being led by HEBS.A programme director is now in post to help drive forward the national programme.

The three national clinical priorities of Coronary Heart Disease/Stroke, Cancer and Mental Health are central to the local health plan produced by each NHS board area, in line with guidance issued by the health department. Additionally, on-going analysis of NHS board performance in each of these areas is undertaken through the year round performance monitoring between the NHS and health department.

Decisions on the allocation of the additional funds will be announced following the outcome of the Spending Review in September 2002.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Following a ministerial led consultation summit in January 2000, involving planners, statutory and voluntary sector providers and users of mental health services, it was agreed to establish a support group to help advance change and improvement. The arrangements for the Mental Health and Well Being Support Group membership, remit and approach are kept under review for continued relevance and to ensure that their contribution to the investment and reform agenda for mental health in Scotland remains effective.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23491 on 15 April 2002.