Scottish Labour pledge to ‘fix mess’ in NHS by tackling mental health crisis

Scottish Labour are pledging to “fix the mess” in Scotland’s NHS by tackling the country’s mental health crisis to free up frontline staff.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is set to announce plans that would see people in mental health crisis get specialist NHS support through a new emergency response service.

The service would be staffed by specially trained paramedics, nurses and mental health professionals, rather than with a police response alone.

He said: “Our NHS is not safe with John Swinney and the SNP and nowhere is that clearer than in mental health care.

“Too many people in crisis are being let down, too many families are left without the support they need, and too many frontline staff are working under intolerable pressure in a system that is not giving patients the right care.

“It means children on waiting lists for years, patients suffering when treatment is available and frontline emergency workers pulled away from dealing with other issues”

Scottish Labour’s plans include a new national neurodevelopmental pathway, community mental health professionals, expanded self-referral pathways through digital therapies and community walk-in services.

The party is also pledging support for children and young people on CAMHS waiting lists through dedicated community link workers in every CAMHS team.

Mr Sarwar continued: “I’m standing to fix the mess, get the basics right and build a better future for Scotland.

“A Scottish Labour government will put our NHS first and give mental health the parity of esteem it deserves.

“That means specialist emergency mental health care for people in crisis, community support in GP surgeries, better help for children and young people, and the right pathways for neurodivergent people so they are not left stuck on the wrong waiting lists.

“This is how we protect patients, support staff and free up frontline workers to focus on the care they do best.

“On May 7, vote Scottish Labour on both votes for the change Scotland needs.”

Clare Haughey, SNP candidate for Rutherglen and Cambuslang, said: “John Swinney has a plan for our NHS, including mental health support, and our plan is working.

“A larger number of people than ever before require mental health support, but under the SNP we have a record number of staff employed to do just that, with our mental health budget set to exceed £1.5 billion this year, that’s thanks to a budget Anas Sarwar couldn’t even bring himself to vote for.

“We have met our CAMHS target for over a year and we are ensuring funding for counselling services throughout Scottish schools, that’s what you get from an SNP Government on Scotland’s side.

“The SNP is working hard to make sure everyone in Scotland has 24/7 access to the right mental health support and we have GP walk-in centres springing up across the country too.

“While Anas Sarwar has no vision or ideas for Scotland, John Swinney’s strong leadership is focused on the priorities of the people of Scotland  – that’s what’s on the ballot in May.”