More than 100 mental health staff recruited so far this year

20 February 2019, 06:39

More than 100 mental health staff have been hired across Scotland's public sector since the start of the year.

The additional mental health workers in A&Es, GP practices, police station custody suites and prisons have been recruited as the Scottish Government attempts to meet its target of an extra 800 staff by 2022.

The latest figures show that 106 employees were hired since January 1, including 46 new mental health staff in GP practices and 27 in A&E departments.

However, in police custody suites just one additional recruit has been hired, while in Scottish prisons there are two additional staff to support mental heath provision.

Welcoming the findings, Minister for Mental Health Clare Haughey said: "It's hugely encouraging that we are on track to recruit 800 dedicated mental health staff by 2022, in line with the plans set out in our mental health strategy.

"I can speak from experience when I say a career helping support the mental health of people in need of care can be hugely rewarding.

"We are seeing an increasing demand for mental health support across Scotland in a variety of settings and I want to ensure we can provide the best possible care.

"Through our 10-year Mental Health Strategy we are committed to ensuring people get the right help at the right time, free from stigma, and where mental ill-health is treated with the same commitment as physical ailments.

"I welcome the progress we have made so far, with 39 out of 40 actions in our strategy either complete or underway. But I'm determined to go further.

"We must ensure our services reflect these changing needs and recruitment of over 100 additional mental health workers is a promising step."