Question reference: S5W-25698
- Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Independent
- Date lodged: 7 October 2019
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 25 October 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the £50 million for improving access to mental health services for expectant and new mothers, announced by the First Minister in March 2019, will be allocated to NHS boards.
Answer
The Scottish Government has committed £50 million of investment to perinatal and infant mental health services over the next 4 years.
The Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Programme Board was established in March 2019 to provide strategic leadership and will oversee allocation of funds. The 2019-2020 Delivery Plan published in August by the Programme Board laid out plans for the first year of the Programme. The plans focus on building the foundations for investment in future years. For this year, £1 million allocation of funding will include: increased staffing at Mother and Baby Units, support for existing third sector services and developing a model for infant mental health services and community perinatal mental health services which can be rolled out more widely in subsequent years.
The Programme Board will publish a Delivery Plan yearly, laying out plans for the subsequent financial year including more details of funding allocations. The next Delivery Plan is due to be published in early 2020 which will outline funding details for the third sector and NHS services for 2020-2021.