Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)

Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Question reference: S6W-34957

Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 February 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-34287 by Neil Gray on 27 January 2025, regarding its commitment to increase access to GPs, whether this includes the commitment in the NHS Recovery Plan 2021-2026 to recruit 1,000 additional staff in primary care mental health, and whether that recruitment process has already begun.

While financial challenges have caused this programme to remain paused since 2022, we remain committed to delivering increased mental health and wellbeing workforce capacity in general practice, when budgets permit.

We have already prioritised significant investment to build mental health capacity in primary care through Action 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2017-2027 and the Primary Care Improvement Fund (PCIF). As of March 2024, 182.5 WTE mental health workers had been recruited under PCIF and at March 2022, the action 15 commitment had seen an additional 356 WTE mental health workers recruited to general practice.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan sets out a range of actions to achieve the ambition in the Strategy, including an action to work collaboratively to improve access to support, assessment and treatment in primary care mental health and wellbeing services; and to produce an initial report on progress by November 2024. The Mental Health in Primary and Community Care Report was published on 20 December 2024 detailing a range of actions to enhance access to mental health and wellbeing support in general practice and communities.

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Question reference: S6W-34957

Answer