Chamber and committees

The Scottish COVID-19 (SCOVID) Mental Health Tracker Study will provide insight into the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on the mental health of the Scottish population. This is a longitudinal study running from May 2020 to May 2021, with 5 waves. A report on the Wave 1 findings will be published this month.

The Mental Health Research Advisory Group was established in April 2020 to follow research developments to understand the medium and long term impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health. The group, chaired by Professor Andrew Gumley, Director of the Scottish Mental Health Research Network, includes academics and public health experts from across Scotland. The Group will support the development of our evidence-led mental health policy response to the pandemic. The MHRAG have produced an evidence summary briefings provided with the minutes in April 2020 and June 2020 .

Public Health Scotland do not currently hold waiting times data for mental health services by individual clinical specialty (i.e. psychologist, psychiatrist, mental health professional). Public Health Scotland do hold aggregate information on Waiting Times for both Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Psychological Therapies which is published quarterly. The latest publication of these statistics was on 1 September for quarter ending June 2020.

At quarter end June 2020, there were 9,319 people waiting to start treatment within CAMHS and 24,094 people waiting to start treatment within Psychological Therapies. [Please note that the Psychological Therapies dataset includes CAMHS patients awaiting this treatment so there is an element of double counting (see the individual reports below for more information)].

CAMHS Waiting Times Publication

The latest publication on CAMHS waiting times is available here: https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/conditions-and-diseases/mental-health/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-services-camhs-waiting-times/

CAMHS Data Quality Report

The latest CAMHS Data Quality Report is available here: https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/5327/data-quality.pdf

Psychological Therapies Waiting Times Publication

The latest publication on Psychological Therapies waiting times is available here:

https://beta.isdscotland.org/find-publications-and-data/conditions-and-diseases/mental-health/psychological-therapies-waiting-times/

Psychological Therapies Data Quality Report

The latest Psychological Therapies Data Quality Report is available here:

https://beta.isdscotland.org/media/5655/data-quality.pdf

We are aware that the tightening of restrictions announced by the First Minister on 22 September may cause additional concerns and in some cases heightened emotional distress. However the Scottish Government is committed to both taking appropriate action to contain the virus and providing clear, comprehensive and accessible support for mental health.

As part of this commitment, during the Covid pandemic period we have provided funding to increase the capacity of NHS24’s telephone and online mental health support services. This includes expanding the NHS24 Mental Health Hub so that it is now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; it also includes expanding the capacity of the Breathing Space telephone helpline and web support service, and providing extra capacity for Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

We have also expanded the Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) programme into a nationwide response for people in distress. Now, anyone who phones the NHS24 Mental Health Hub in emotional distress from anywhere in Scotland and who does not need emergency clinical intervention and is assessed as appropriate for referral to DBI can be referred to the DBI Programme for further support.

Further advice and support for mental health is available through the NHSInform and Clear Your Head websites, which have information on practical tips, resources, and services to support wellbeing.

The Scottish Government will allocate £30m of our investment in the Young Person’s Guarantee in 2020/21 to local authorities. This will support them to deliver a range of interventions to enhance employability support to young people and to employers. This will include supporting young people to take up opportunities in education, employability, volunteering and training.

The Young Person’s Guarantee will be the over-arching pledge to young people that will seek to add value to existing programmes, building on established activity. Local authorities will play a leading role in developing the right interventions to deliver the Guarantee to meet the needs of local young people and employers and we will continue to work closely with COSLA to develop that role.

Our intention is that this investment builds on, rather than replaces, successful activity happening locally and nationally, such as the Glasgow Guarantee.

The Scottish Government welcomed the report Youth Guarantee - No-one Left Behind written by Sandy Begbie. The report set out a number of recommendations and actions on how an employer-led Young Person’s Guarantee could be taken forward.

Work is ongoing with delivery partners to take forward the recommendations from the report and further details on implementation, including how young people will be able to access the Guarantee, will be set out in the coming weeks.

Visiting is a fundamental part of the health and wellbeing of those who live in care homes, and I recognise how incredibly hard it has been for residents and their families not to have regular face to face contact.

The visiting guidance has been developed with input from members of the Scottish Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer and Care Homes Clinical and Professional Advisory Group, a multidisciplinary group providing clinical and professional advice throughout the pandemic on care homes. The guidance supports a visiting pathway on the reintroduction of visits and we are at stage 3 of the pathway. The Group is looking again at what more we can do to strike a better balance between family and visitor contact, activities, and healthcare services for residents, whilst at the same time protecting them from the introduction of the virus into their homes.

I am continually looking at this issue and working with Scottish Care and others, as well as meeting with campaigners from Care Home Relatives Scotland, to hear their views as to how we may further safely improve visiting.

The enforcement of the Coronavirus Regulations is a matter for the Chief Constable and Police Scotland. Police Scotland have indicated that, to date, the vast majority of people are, as we would expect, complying with the regulations.

In Police Scotland’s approach, enforcement has always been a last resort, where engagement, explanation and encouragement to comply have not secured the desired outcome. While the Chief Constable has made it clear that it is important that Police Scotland’s policing tone and style reflects the need for positive engagement and that common sense needs to be applied by everyone, he has said that officers will take decisive action to enforce the law in cases where it is being flagrantly broken.

Any breaches of the requirements in the regulations may be subject to enforcement action, including a fixed penalty notice or prosecution in court.

Ensuring police have the powers to enter and disperse large house parties is another tool in suppressing the virus. While we expect these powers to be used as a last resort, it will help to reduce the potential for future clusters and outbreaks. It is only because of the unprecedented crisis that we are facing, and to save lives, that emergency powers have been introduced. They are temporary powers and will be kept under review.

Our guidance on preparing for the start of new school term in August 2020 ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-preparing-start-new-school-term-august-2020-version-2/pages/2/ ) aims to support a safe return to school for all children, young people and staff taking full account of progress made in suppressing COVID-19 in Scotland, the scientific advice received and the advice of the Education Recovery Group and other key stakeholders.

It draws on related information on shielding status and guidance for those formerly shielding ( https://www.gov.scot/publications/covid-shielding/pages/changes-to-shielding-advice/) , which was developed using the latest clinical evidence that sets out best practice on risk assessment for COVID-19 as an easy to follow tool. It highlights that employers have a legal responsibility to conduct a workplace risk assessment (available from https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-individual-risk-assessment-for-the-workplace/ ) to put in place measures to reduce the risk of transmission for all staff and others who may be at risk. Health and Safety Executive guidance is available on how to do this, which also has information on the need to engage and reassure staff who may be returning to work from shielding.

After a workplace risk assessment has been undertaken and measures to reduce the risk of transmission have been put in place, staff and their managers should use the risk assessment tool to identify the individual’s vulnerability level.

All of the above continues to be kept under review on an ongoing basis.

The Scottish Government is very conscious that homeowners affected by cladding issues following the terrible events at Grenfell tower are facing difficulties through no fault of their own.

We have been working with industry and others to tackle buildings where Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) is present, as was the case at Grenfell tower.

As I made clear to Members at the Local Government and Communities Committee on 4 September, I am sympathetic to calls for potential funding support and will work with members of the Ministerial Working Group on Mortgages and Cladding to determine a clear picture of those people who are most affected by this issue.

I am also determined that other partners and organisations with an interest or responsibility play their part in supporting homeowners in this position. Decisions by Ministers on the establishment of any funds will be informed by the evidence provided by the Working Group and look to develop on the good example set by Taylor Wimpey, who have already committed to fully remediating two buildings in Glasgow.