Funding For Mental Health ‘Lags In NHS’

Mental health services in Scotland are losing out financially to other parts of the health service, according to a report published yesterday.

The health committee report found that while health spending had increased dramatically over the past six years, funding for mental health services had lagged behind.

The research, by Sean Boyle of the London School of Economics, also found a decline in the number of beds available for psychiatric patients in Scotland.

Roseanna Cunningham, the committee’s convener, said: “There is a perception that mental health care is something of a Cinderella service within the NHS.

“Dr Boyle’s figures show that while there has been an increase in the overall spend on mental health provision across Scotland, the share of overall expenditure in this field has dropped.”