Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership has written to the three candidates for SNP leader, and therefore likely First Minister.
We believe it is important that mental health remains a major priority for the Scottish Government, and have therefore asked the candidates – Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf – for reassurance on two points:
- That the candidates would remain committed to the SNP manifesto commitment to ‘increase the direct investment into mental health services by at least 25% and ensure that, by the end of the parliament, 10% of our frontline NHS budget will be invested in mental health’; and
- That the candidates would remain committed to the publication and implementation of a ten year Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, currently scheduled to be release in May 2023.
Lee Knifton, Chair of Scotland’s Mental Health Partnership, said: “We have written to all three candidates asking for reassurance that they would remain committed to improving mental health as First Minister.
“We look forward to working with the new First Minister to improve mental health and wellbeing using our Promote, Prevent, Provide framework as a basis for action.”
The result of the leadership election is scheduled to be announced on Monday 27 March 2023.