Tag: Scottish Government

Holyrood committee: Very difficult to assess the effectiveness of mental health spending in Scotland’s NHS

HOLYROOD’s Health Social Care and Sport Committee has said it is disappointed by an ongoing lack of transparency in data gathering and analysis, which makes it very difficult to assess the effectiveness, or otherwise, of the Scottish Government’s approach to mental health spending.

The findings are part of the Committee’s Pre-Budget Scrutiny 2026-27, which this year focused on mental health spending. Spending on mental health services now stands at around £1.5 billion and has risen in recent years.

The Committee acknowledge there is general support for the priorities set out in the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and accompanying Delivery Plan, but regrets that it remains very difficult to identify links between those priorities and how mental health budgets are spent.

It calls on the Scottish Government to provide additional data to illustrate how and to what extent mental health budgets can be linked back to the priorities identified.

The Committee is calling on the Scottish Government to provide data on actual spend on mental health services to allow for better evaluation and to help inform spending decisions.

While acknowledging the current landscape is complicated, even more so as a result of the integration of health and social care, the Committee say the Government must do more to provide detailed analysis of current spending to inform current and future policy.

Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “Our pre-budget scrutiny this year has been focused on the Scottish Government’s spending on mental health but what we have found is that issues of transparency, data availability and analysis has limited our ability to effectively scrutinise policy and funding.

“More importantly, this limits the Government’s ability to understand the effectiveness of funding for mental health services and where spending could be better targeted to improve outcomes.

“We’re calling for more transparency, and better data and analysis to improve evaluation and to better inform spending priorities.

“Better data capture and analysis could also help inform preventative approaches to mental health funding and highlight areas where ring-fenced funding could be effective. We look forward to the Scottish Government responding to our report.”

The reported negative impact of a lack of long or even medium-term certainty around budgets is also highlighted and the Committee is seeking reassurance from the Scottish Government that the Spending Review can provide a degree of long-term certainty for services and the third sector.

Health and social care is the largest portfolio area in the Scottish Government’s budget, accounting for over £21 billion of spend, equivalent to around a third of the entire Scottish budget. Within this total, spending on mental health services now stands at around £1.5 billion and has risen in recent years.

Improving health through prevention

Funding digital type 2 diabetes programmes

A new Scottish Government programme is expected to prevent up to 4,000 people from developing type 2 diabetes.

The £4.8 million investment will offer education and virtual, app-based, individual consultations with nutritionists, dietitians and health coaches via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) initiative to fast track proven healthcare innovations.

By focusing on prevention, this will reduce future health complications for patients, improve quality of life and ease long-term pressures on the NHS.

Health professionals in primary or secondary care will refer suitable patients soon after diagnosis of pre-diabetes or history of gestational diabetes – increasing equity of access to NHS services across Scotland – and self-referral will also be available.

Meeting frontline staff and patients at Pennywell All Care Centre in Edinburgh, Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We want to improve access to treatment in the community, enhance preventative services and maximise the opportunities of digital innovation through our Service Renewal and Population Health Frameworks. This will deliver a sustainable and high quality health and social care system for the future.

“This digital programme reduces the need to travel to in-person appointments and helps patients make sustainable changes to their diet and lifestyle and prevent progress towards type 2 diabetes. It enables rural and urban communities to easily access services which can have a life-changing impact.

“It is a prime example of transformative innovation that benefits frontline staff and patients alike and supports our health and care service to meet the challenges it faces.”

The three-year programme will enable up to 15,000 people at risk of type 2 diabetes to access nine months of digital diet and lifestyle change advice through ANIA – with up to 4,000 of those expected to avoid the condition.

Director of Innovation and Transformation at NHS Lothian Jenny Long said: “Over the past five years, NHS Lothian’s dietetic service has successfully delivered both the diabetes remission and award-winning prevention programmes, supported by permanent Scottish Government funding.

!Their success has led to further investment in digital innovation via the Accelerated National Innovation Adoption (ANIA) pathway.

“New digital services will improve patient access and outcomes across the region, enabling direct referrals from primary care and reducing waiting times.”

The ANIA Pathway, funded by the Chief Scientist Office and led by the Centre for Sustainable Delivery, is designed to fast-track proven innovations into frontline healthcare across Scotland. By identifying, assessing, and implementing new health technologies with strong evidence and impact, ANIA ensures patients across Scotland benefit from the latest advances in care.

Head of Innovation at the Centre for Sustainable Delivery Jason White said: “This programme represents a major step forward in the delivery of preventative healthcare across Scotland.

“It will empower people with pre-diabetes via easily accessible technology to make meaningful lifestyle changes that will significantly reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

“The Centre for Sustainable Delivery is proud to support this initiative through the ANIA programme. It’s a scalable, evidence-based solution that will support people to improve their own health and wellbeing over nine months.

“It will improve patient outcomes and reduce demand on NHS services through reducing the growth of type 2 diabetes across Scotland.”

There are 310,000 people living with type 2 diabetes in Scotland, representing more than 5% of the population. In 2023, more than 25,000 new cases were diagnosed and the number is predicted to reach 420,000 by 2044.

Type 2 diabetes | NHS inform

Strengthening Scotland’s relationships with Wales

Rhun ap lorwerth MS welcomed to Bute House

First Minister John Swinney met Rhun ap lorwerth MS, the leader of Plaid Cymru, at Bute House to discuss how relations with Wales can be strengthened.

Speaking after the meeting, the First Minister described Wales as one of Scotland’s ‘closest partners’ and said the two nations can be a uniting force in creating a fairer, more progressive society which seeks to tackle inequality and advance economic opportunities.

The First Minister said: “I am committed to forging a constructive relationship with nations across the UK and collaborating on issues of mutual interest.

“Wales is one of Scotland’s closest partners and I was pleased to welcome Rhun ap lorwerth to Scotland to discuss how we can work together to build a better future.

“Wales and Scotland have an enduring bond, with both countries having faced similar issues at different periods in our history. In a rapidly changing society, we must stand ready to work together again to overcome the challenges we both face – such as tackling child poverty.

“I have pledged my government’s commitment to working with the people of Wales to ensure our two nations can be a uniting force in building a fairer, more progressive society – a society that prioritises tackling inequality by creating the economic conditions to help communities thrive.”

Health Information Integrity Strategy

Focus on using trusted and accurate sources

People should use trustworthy sources of information to make the best possible decisions about health, Health Secretary Neil Gray has said.

In response to the growing volume of false information, and a recommendation from the pandemic advisory group, the Standing Committee on Pandemic Preparedness, the Scottish Government has launched a Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy.

Mr Gray said it would help the NHS counter false and misleading health information by giving healthcare professionals the tools to enable people to make the best possible choices about their own health.

He said: “There is lot of health information at our fingertips, but often it is not in line with the science and evidence produced by international experts. Some of it is misleading, inaccurate, and sometimes just plain false. This strategy will help the Scottish Government and our health partners respond to the growing threat from such poor-quality information.

“For all of us, understanding our health and options is vital, as the wrong information can lead us to make the wrong choices that can harm us or our loved ones. The Scottish Health Information Integrity Strategy will guide our response to these challenges and help retain public trust in the NHS.

“For any health questions, in the first instance, people should go to Scotland’s national health information service NHS Inform, which provides evidence-based and accurate health information.”

University of Edinburgh Chair in Public Health, and Scottish Government Chief Social Policy Adviser Professor Linda Bauld said: “People are seeking information about their health in new ways, and often from platforms which are not accurate.

“This strategy marks the beginning of the Scottish healthcare system’s response. It describes potential first steps to help NHS Scotland and others build and maintain trust and find the best ways of providing people with information.”

The strategy makes a number of recommendations on developing leadership and co-ordination, and rapidly responding and building resilience to false health information. These include:

  • providing dedicated resources
  • participating in UK and international networks
  • supporting staff to have evidence-based conversations with patients
  • supporting embedding media, digital and health literacy into the Curriculum for Excellence
  • engaging with community partners and third-sector organisations on public health messaging.

Scottish Health Information Strategy

‘Scotland remains a safe place to live’ – Angela Constance

Homicides at lowest level in half century

Homicide numbers in Scotland have fallen to their lowest level since comparable records began in 1976, according to official figures.

Cases recorded by Police Scotland fell to 45 homicides in 2024-25, down 12 on the previous year. For all of the 45 homicide victims recorded in 2024-25, the associated case was solved.

The greatest reduction in homicide victims over the last 20 years has been among young people aged 16-24 – falling from 110 victims between 2005-06 and 2009-10 to 31 between 2020-21 and 2024-25.

The publication by Scotland’s Chief Statistician provides information on crimes of homicide recorded by the police in Scotland in 2024-25.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “My thoughts are with every family who have lost a loved one, however the fact that the number of homicides has fallen significantly over the last decade, now to a record low in 2024-25, is clearly a positive and welcome trend.

“While the number of young lives lost to homicide has also reduced significantly over recent years, behind every statistic is the grief of loved ones and a tragedy that demands continued and determined action.

“I am grateful to Police Scotland for their work that saw 100% of cases solved last year – a fact which, along with the decline in homicides, is further evidence that Scotland remains a safe place to live and justice is being served.

“The Scottish Government has invested more than £6 million since 2023 to support implementation of the Violence Prevention Framework for Scotland. This funding provides a range of activities to prevent violence and reduce its harm, much of which is supporting young people away from violence.

“To help prevent the future abuse and death of women and girls, we now have the statutory framework in place to create what will be Scotland’s first national multi-agency domestic homicide and suicide review model, with reviews expected to start from next spring.”

Homicide in Scotland 2024-25

Short term measures ‘not addressing gap in public sector finances’

The Scottish Government recorded a £1 billion underspend in 2024/25 but still needs to move away from short-term measures to address a stark forecast gap between its spending plans and funding.

The underspend was supported by over £2 billion of additional funding from the UK Government, meaning a plan to help balance the budget with £460 million of offshore wind leasing revenues was not needed.

Significant pressures remain in achieving financial balance in 2025/26, and many of the necessary savings identified and delivered so far are non-recurring. This continued short-term approach to managing spending is not supporting the fiscal sustainability of the Scottish public sector.

The Scottish Government’s latest Medium Term Financial Strategy projects a combined resource and capital funding gap of £4.7 billion by 2029/30. This is due to policy choices and higher workforce costs. However, the government’s plan to make savings over the next five years lacks detail on how they will be delivered.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “Although the Scottish Government reported a £1 billion underspend this year, it did so from a combination of additional funding from the UK Government and one-off savings.

“A forecast gap of nearly £5 billion remains between what ministers want to spend on public services and the funding available to them.

“The Scottish Government needs to prepare more detailed plans setting out how it will close that gap by the end of the decade.”

Supporting families with school attendance

Multi-media campaign launched

A national TV, radio and multi-media campaign that aims to improve school attendance by supporting parents, carers, and teachers to make school a positive experience for all children has been launched.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth joined pupils and teachers at Pathhead Primary in Kirkcaldy to launch the campaign, which deals with the root causes of absences, and identifies ways to approach conversations about wellbeing that can help pupils to improve their attendance.

The campaign highlights new resources available on Parent Club, the Scottish Government’s information hub offering advice and support for parents and carers.

The advice aims to support conversations between families, pupils and their teachers, to identify and help overcome the issues behind why a child may be reluctant to go to school. It complements existing guidance from Education Scotland to support schools and councils to improve attendance.

Ms Gilruth said: “We know that too many young people are missing school for reasons that can be tough on them and their families. While the most recent figures show a slight increase in attendance, rates remain lower than they were before the pandemic.

“The underlying issues that drive poor attendance can be complex and unique – young people may struggle due to anxiety, additional support needs, or reluctance to attend – and this can leave parents and guardians feeling frustrated and powerless.

“There is no quick fix for improving school attendance – it is a journey that parents, schools, and pupils must to take together, and which the new resources on Parent Club can help them navigate.”

Pathhead Primary School has seen improvements in attendance through a combination of universal and targeted interventions, underlined by strong parent-school partnerships.

The school has a dedicated Attendance Team – known as the A-Team – which involves leadership, administration and family workers. It works to build positive relationships with families and to support every child facing attendance challenges.

Pathhead Primary Headteacher Jillian Mellis said: “We have worked together with staff, families and children to improve attendance at Pathhead Primary School and have seen significant gains over the last few years.

“Understanding the challenges and barriers for our children and families has been crucial to improving attendance and relationships are at the heart of everything we do. Communication is supported universally, and we are rigorous in our processes when children do not attend.

“Keeping in touch, receiving practical and emotional support and ensuring a warm welcome from everyone is the approach we all use at Pathhead. Families and staff report the impact of this on wellbeing and achievement, not only for the children but for the whole family and wider community.” 

Parent Club has tips and advice for parents and carers if their child is struggling to go to school.

Education Scotland report Improving Attendance: Understanding the issues.

Reduction in Scotland’s NHS waiting lists

New figures show NHS waiting lists in Scotland have fallen and waits of more than a year have reduced for the fourth month in a row.

When compared with August 2025, September saw a 7.3% decrease in new outpatient waits longer than a year – this number has now fallen for four consecutive months. The total waiting list for outpatients has decreased by 2.0% on the same month last year, and the inpatient and daycase waiting list has fallen by 0.2% over the same period.

Treatment Time Guarantee waits of over a year have decreased by 5.9% when compared to last month. These waits have been dropping since February 2025 and are now lower than at the same point last year. Reductions are seen under both 2012 and 2023 waiting times guidance.

The latest figures show that activity has increased, with the number of new outpatient attendances for September increasing by 10,136 (9.5%) to 116,776 attendances when compared with August. There has also been an increase of more than 31,000 appointments and procedures from April to September compared to same period in 2024.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “These new figures show our plan is working and delivering for the people of Scotland – we have provided more than £110 million of additional targeted funding this year to tackle the longest waits and we are now seeing the tangible impact of our significant investment.

“We are not only seeing the total list size and longest waits come down, but we are also treating more people with activity increasing significantly compared to last month and last year. My thanks to all teams across the country who are working so hard to drive these improvements.

“Despite this progress, we know that many people are still facing unacceptable waits and we are determined to build on these improvements and ensure people receive the treatment they need as soon as possible.”

SignPort: New app could transform deaf people’s lives

Improving access to services

Deaf people will be able to access essential services more easily from today onwards with the launch of a free mobile app.

SignPort will enable Deaf people to book British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in just a few steps, see who their interpreter will be and communicate with them securely.

It was developed by Deaf Action and Burrotech through the Scottish Government’s CivTech programme after a review found that the existing booking system is fragmented and time-consuming, with back-and-forth email exchanges leading to missed appointments and educational barriers.

CivTech invites companies to work with government departments, public bodies and charities to develop innovations which improve people’s lives and drive business growth.

Through the scheme, the Scottish Government has supported SignPort’s development with £350,000. Six public bodies have currently included the app in their BSL plans with the Scottish Government encouraging more organisations to use the platform.

Launching SignPort at Deaf Action’s headquarters in Edinburgh, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said: “This app builds on our commitment to make Scotland a more inclusive place for Deaf people.

“It also represents exactly the kind of innovation we want to see through our CivTech programme – technology that transforms lives and removes barriers.

“By putting Deaf people and interpreters at the heart of its design, this app addresses challenges that have persisted for too long.

As a social enterprise, SignPort will reinvest in the very communities it serves, creating lasting change beyond improving bookings.

“This is community-led innovation at its best.”

£531 million investment in Scotland’s General Practice

Funding will improve access to services and support recruitment

General Practice will receive additional funding of more than half a billion pounds over the next three years to support recruitment – the largest investment in core GP services to date in Scotland.

The announcement, subject to Parliament agreeing future budgets, comes following agreement with the British Medical Association (BMA) over new additional funding which builds to a recurring £249 million in three years’ time. The funding will help boost staff numbers and capacity, support day-to-day operations and make it easier for people to access GP services.

This newly agreed additional funding takes additional new investment for General Practice to £531 million. 

Subject to future budget processes, an initial investment of £98 million will be made available in 2026-27, with £183 million being invested in 2027-28 and £249 million following in 2028-29. This builds on our current annual investment into General Practice of over £1.3 billion, including more than an additional £100m over the last two years.  

The new investment will also help deliver digital prescribing, which aims to improve efficiency within Primary Care settings and enhance the patient experience.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “We have been listening carefully to the views of Scotland’s GPs and I am pleased the BMA has accepted the Scottish Government’s offer to increase funding by £249 million, which takes total investment in General Practice to more than half a billion pounds over the next three years.

“This is the largest investment in core GP services to date in Scotland and will significantly boost recruitment from next year, helping to deliver the capacity needed to improve services for patients.

“This funding will help us as we shift the focus of care from acute to community. We remain focused on reducing waiting times and new figures show we are making progress – waits of more than a year have reduced for the fourth month in a row and the total waiting list size has also reduced.

“This is not a pay deal — it’s about stabilising practices and getting more staff into general practice. GPs and practice staff received a £46 million uplift for pay and expenses earlier this year, and practices are receiving an additional £15 million in 2025-26 to support immediate recruitment needs.

“I thank the BMA for their constructive discussions and look forward to working with the sector to ensure patients have the best possible care available, as close to home as possible.”

Dr Iain Morrison, Chair of BMA Scotland’s GP Committee said: “For some time, we have been clear that the only way to put General Practice in Scotland on a sustainable footing for the future and to improve access for patients was direct investment into practices to recruit and retain GPs.

“Today’s announcement, secured after a robust but constructive set of negotiations is welcome recognition of that fact and reflects the level of funding needed to stabilise and rebuild General Practice across Scotland in both urban and rural areas.

“It is a significant step in the right direction, and importantly is a vote of confidence in the long-term future of the independent contractor model of general practice that has served local communities across Scotland so well.

“This investment should finally enable the profession to feel optimistic about the future and provides the opportunity to make working in General Practice in Scotland the rewarding, safe and sustainable career it should be once again.”