Mental health figures for NHS Highland among the best
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MENTAL health treatment in the Highlands was among the best in Scotland in recent months.
According to figures for the latest quarter, 96 per cent of children and adolescents needing treatment in the NHS Highland area began it within the 18-week target.
The figures cover the three months up to the end of September.
This was against a national average of 81 per cent, with patients in neighbouring NHS Grampian having to wait an average of 21 weeks for treatment in the same period.
According to recent research one in 10 youngsters aged between five and 16 has a clinically diagnosable mental health problem.
The Scottish Government is due to publish a new 10-year strategy for mental health shortly, as a growing number of voices call for the issue to be given equal parity with physical health matters.
Just before Christmas mental health minister Maureen Watt announced an additional £10 million of funding for primary care mental health services over the two years, with GP services providing greater assistance to signpost people to community support and help sufferers manage their own conditions.
She said: “We want to greatly improve early intervention, so that we can give people timely treatment before more serious problems develop.
“To do that there needs to be a strong mental health response in primary care settings, and that’s what this £10 million programme will help us to do.
“By testing innovative approaches we can see what works and potentially role these out more widely.
“In particular we want to look at ways in which improving physical health can improve mental health. We also want to look at how targeting resources in deprived or rural communities can begin to break down some of the health inequalities we are still seeing,” she added.
The Scottish Government previously committed to increasing the share of the frontline NHS budget dedicated to mental health in each year of the current parliament.
Overall mental health spending is also set to increase to at least £1 billion this year as efforts continue to tackle the problem.
