The Public Audit Committee looks at reports published by the Auditor General for Scotland to examine whether public money is being spent efficiently and effectively.
On 13 September 2023, the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission published Adult mental health.
The report says:
"The Scottish Government does not have sufficient oversight of most adult mental health services because of a lack of information. It does not measure the quality of care or the outcomes for people receiving it. The Scottish Government focuses on only waiting times for psychological therapies to assess how adult mental health and wellbeing services are performing. Performance against this measure has improved, but NHS boards are still struggling to meet waiting times standards. The system is fragmented, and accountability is complex, with multiple bodies involved in funding and providing mental health services. This causes complications and delays in developing services that focus on individuals’ needs".
The report was discussed at the following Committee meetings:
The Committee’s report was published on 28 February 2024.
Read the Committee's report on adult mental health
Read the response to the Committee's report from Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, 24 April 2024 (457KB, pdf) posted 09 May 2024
The Committee has sent and received the following correspondence during its scrutiny of the report:
Correspondence to the Convener from Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport, Scottish Government, 24 April 2024
Correspondence to the Convener from Claire Stevens, Chief Executive Voluntary Health Scotland, 7 March 2024
Correspondence to the Convener from Tracey McKigen, Services Director, Royal Edinburgh and Associated Services, NHS Lothian, 7 December 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Jillian Galloway, Head of Health and Community Care Services, Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, 4 December 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Dr Shari McDaid, Head of Policy and Public Affairs (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland), Mental Health Foundation, 21 November 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Jo Anderson, Director of Influence and Change, Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH), 21 November 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Aidan Mitchell, Policy and Public Affairs Officer, Change Mental Health, 10 November 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Police Scotland, 10 November 2023
Correspondence to the Convener from Stephen Boyle, the Auditor General for Scotland, 23 October 2023