Chamber and committees

In 2011, NHS Scotland published the first Annual State of NHSScotland Assets and Facilities Report (SAFR) which estimated the level of high risk backlog maintenance to be £232 million. The following table uses the backlog originally reported in the 2011 SAFR to track the actual annual change in this high risk backlog (i.e. excluding the impact of newly reported backlog) up to 2013-14, and then estimates future expectations to meet the 2016-17 projection reported in last year's SAFR:

The improved position is due to a number of factors including:

Estate rationalisation and disposal of older properties avoiding the need for expenditure on backlog.

Replacing older properties with new facilities and avoiding the need for expenditure on backlog e.g. the new South Glasgow Hospitals project, Balfour Hospital in Orkney, and Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary.

Incorporating backlog works within major redevelopment, modernisation and refurbishment projects e.g. improvements to inpatient accommodation at Aberdeen Royal Hospital, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, and Ayrshire Central Hospital.

Undertaking specific projects to target the high and significant backlog e.g. inpatient accommodation at Monklands Hospital.

Incorporating backlog work within operational repair and cyclical maintenance.

The figures in the table do not take account of additional newly identified backlog over the same period as additional backlog in buildings and engineering systems is an inevitable consequence of aging assets. However, the same principles will be applied to manage the high risk backlog that has been identified since the first report was published.

It should also be noted that it is very difficult to accurately forecast changes in backlog in existing buildings, and timings for estate rationalisation can be influenced by a number of factors including operational priorities and market forces (in relation to disposals). Future SAFR reports will continue to monitor annually how boards are actually reducing their overall backlog as well as the risk profile of the backlog since 2011.

Audit Scotland recommended that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) should agree a long-term financial strategy by 31 March 2016. The SFRS is on schedule to deliver the strategy by this date.

NHS boards and local authorities are responsible for working with their partners to provide care, services and support which meets the assessed needs of people living with mental health problems in line with their statutory obligations and Scottish Government policy.

Mental health services are a priority for this government, this priority has been further demonstrated through the additional £150 million funding which has been allocated to improve mental health services over the next five years.

Through the advisory group set up to support commitment 15 of the Mental Health Strategy 2012-2015, NHS Health Scotland is working to increase local knowledge of social prescribing opportunities. NHS Health Scotland developed a paper offering advice to local area partnerships, based on evidence and current practice, on how to establish approaches to social prescribing for common mental health problems.

In addition, NHS Health Scotland published the Social Prescribing Capacity Building Toolkit paper in December 2015 which offers support in building capacity to connect people to sources of support and opportunities within the community. This paper can be found on the Well Scotland website (http://www.wellscotland.info/).

At a Spending Review Barnett consequentials are determined on a departmental level as opposed to a programme level. It is therefore not possible to isolate the financial impact of individual UK Government spending decisions.

Last year we announced investment of £100 million to improve mental health services over the next five years. The Draft Budget 2016-17 provides an additional £50 million, resulting in a total package of £150 million. On 12 January 2016 the First Minister announced that £54.1 million – over one third – of that package will be invested over the next four years to improve access to psychological therapies for all ages, which will include women at risk of perinatal mental illness.

This is in addition to the overall funding that we already provide to NHS Scotland to meet the health care needs of the population, including for community and specialist mental health services such as the regional-based accommodation in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian for mothers experiencing a mental health problem to be admitted to hospital for treatment along with their child.

Mental health services are a priority for this government; this has been demonstrated through the additional £150 million funding which has been allocated to improve mental health services over the next five years. This includes £10 million for primary care mental health services.

NHS boards and local authorities are responsible for working with their partners to provide care, services and support which meets the assessed needs of people living with mental health problems in line with their statutory obligations and Scottish Government policy.

We have engaged in early dialogue with a number of stakeholders about the next mental health strategy which will be produced in 2016, and informed by further engagement with interested parties.

Mental health services are a priority for this government; this priority has been further demonstrated through the additional £150 million funding which has been allocated to improve mental health services over the next five years.

Through the advisory group set up to support commitment 15 of the Mental Health Strategy for Scotland: 2012-2015, NHS Health Scotland is working to increase local knowledge of social prescribing opportunities. NHS Health Scotland developed a paper offering advice to local area partnerships, based on evidence and current practice, on how to establish approaches to social prescribing for common mental health problems.

In addition, NHS Health Scotland published a ‘Social Prescribing Capacity Building Toolkit Paper’ in December 2015 which offers support in building capacity to connect people to sources of support and opportunities within the community. This paper can be found on the Well Scotland website (http://www.wellscotland.info/).

We have engaged in early dialogue with a number of stakeholders about the next mental health strategy which will be produced in 2016, and informed by further engagement with interested parties.

NHS boards and local authorities are responsible for working with their partners to provide care, services and support which meets the assessed needs of people living with mental health problems in line with their statutory obligations and Scottish Government policy.

Mental health services are a priority for this government; this priority has been further demonstrated through the additional £150 million funding which has been allocated to improve mental health services over the next five years. The investment in NHS boards is intended to increase capacity to deliver services.

As part of this funding, the First Minister announced a £54.1 million package of support to improve access to mental health services for adults and children on 12 January 2016. This investment includes £24.7 million to improve capacity to see more people more quickly, £4.8 million through Healthcare Improvement Scotland to help redesign local services to be more efficient, effective and sustainable and £24.6 million to improve workforce supply and train existing staff to deliver services for children and young people, as well as psychological therapies for all ages.

The £4.8 million through Healthcare Improvement Scotland will be used to establish a ‘Mental Health Access Improvement Support Team’ who will provide a comprehensive package of support to work in partnership with boards to improve access to mental health services, including psychological therapies.

NHS boards and local authorities will invest in staff to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce is in place to deliver efficient and high quality mental health services from the overall funding they receive from the Scottish Government.

We have made available an additional £150 million to 2020 to improve mental health services across Scotland. As part of this funding, we announced a £54.1 million package of support to improve access to mental health services for adults and children. This included £24.6 million to 2020 to support the development of the mental health workforce to enhance supply and training of staff to deliver evidence-based therapies, delivered by NHS Education for Scotland.

See Me is Scotland’s national campaign to end mental health stigma and discrimination. Scottish Government provides £1 million per year in addition to £0.5 million from Comic Relief to support the See Me programme. See Me Workplace is part of the See Me anti stigma work to support the reduction of stigma and raise awareness in the workplace for people entering and retaining work in Scotland. See Me have recently launched a work programme which takes organisations through four specific steps from commitment and awareness through to practice transformation and becoming a See Me Work Partner. https://www.seemescotland.org/workplace/see-me-in-work/.

Fit for Work Scotland (FfWS) is a service recently established on a phased basis from December 2014, funded through the Department for Work and Pensions and delivered in Scotland by the Scottish Government. The service provides support for people in work to remain at work, or return to work following periods of long term sickness absence. It provides assessment and advice for employers and employees around interventions and actions which could facilitate a return to work. This service is not specifically for mental health and wellbeing, but incorporates it (http://www.FitforWorkScotland.scot).

Scottish Government provides funding to NHS Health Scotland to deliver the Healthy Working Lives Scotland service. This is a comprehensive service offering advice and support to employers and their employees around health, safety and wellbeing. This is facilitated through advice lines and award schemes. The award schemes are from bronze to gold and the silver award specifically states the need to “Provide managers and supervisors with training to increase their knowledge and understanding of mental health, wellbeing and stress in the workplace. Ensure managers are aware of their responsibilities in relation to employee support.” (http://www.healthyworkinglives.com/).