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Scottish Government commits to £85m extra funding for mental health

An extra £85 million will be spent on mental health in Scotland during the next five years to improve services, the Scottish Government has announced.

This extra funding is on top of £15m that has already been promised f mental health treatment.

Spread over five years, the £100m will partly be used to further improve child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and extend access to psychological therapies and other services.

The additional funds will also be used to help GPs treat patients suffering from mental health problems, as well as promoting better wellbeing through exercise and providing services in community settings.

Minister for sport, health improvement and mental health Jamie Hepburn said that waiting times for mental health treatments had come down ‘significantly’ in recent years, despite a large increase in demand.

‘Mental health services are an absolute priority of this Government,’ said Mr Hepburn.

‘These are some of the most vulnerable people in our country and it’s vital that the health service is properly equipped to give them the support and treatment they need.’

However, Dr Richard Simpson, Labour’s public and mental health spokesman, attacked the funding claim.

Calling the funding boost ‘pure spin’, Dr Simpson claimed that the Scottish Government’s cuts to mental health had come to £80m this year so the extra cash for services amounted to just £20m.


          

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