Treating Mental Ill Health

The number of Scots admitted to hospital with mental health illnesses is falling.

Figures published by ISD Scotland show that admissions and discharges are down by around 17% since 2007.

There were 3, 500 people resident in Scottish psychiatric hospitals up to March 31st 2014.

Figures also show that the health inequality gap for mental health hospital admissions has also narrowed. 

Since 2006/07 the gap between discharges for the most deprived areas and the least deprived has reduced by 22%.

Experts say it's because more people are being treated in the community, whilst more services are being offered by GP surgeries.

Jamie Hepburn, Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, said: “I am pleased to see this continuing decline in hospitalisations for mental illness, with a 17 per cent fall under this government. There are cases where a hospital admission is the best option for the patient. However, for many people the most effective treatments can be delivered in community settings, while they are living at home.

"Expenditure on mental health services is around £900 million in Scotland. We have increased access to psychological therapies, allowing more people to stay out of hospital. We have worked with NHS boards to improve the prescribing of anti-depressants and other medications, meaning that people are given appropriate treatment when they need it.

“On child and adolescent mental health services, we were the first country in the UK to introduce waiting times for treatments. The workforce has been increased by 45 per cent since 2008, and we have recently announced a £15 million mental health innovation fund, which will be partly used to improve access to services for children and young people.”

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Director, Theresa Fyffe, said:

“There are many examples of nurses improving care for people with mental health problems in communities across the country, preventing unnecessary admissions to hospital. In Fife, for example, a nurse-led service for children and young people with mental health problems has seen hospital admissions fall and significant improvements in mental health and social functioning outcomes for the young people it has served. In Drumchapel, Glasgow, a nurse left the NHS to set up a charity – COPE – which works with local people who have nowhere left to turn, supporting them through mental health crises and giving them the tools and support to be more resilient.

“But while services such as COPE make a huge difference, many organisations that provide health support to the most disadvantaged people in our society are often subject to funding cuts, and don’t know if they’ll be open and providing much-needed support from one week to the next. Today’s figures show just what a disadvantage people living in the most deprived communities are placed under when it comes to their mental health. So we need to see long term investment by Scotland’s new joint integration boards in services designed to meet the needs of our most vulnerable people. Together with tackling poverty, this is a key way to narrow the gap between the health of Scotland’s worst off and Scotland’s best off people.”