Home   News   Article

Moray MSP welcomes increase of £139 million in mental health budget


By Chris Saunderson

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!

AN INCREASE of £139 million in funding for mental health services has been welcomed by Moray MSP Richard Lochhead.

Mental health support: Richard Lochhead.
Mental health support: Richard Lochhead.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes confirmed that the Scottish Government will be making £15 million available to support the continued establishment of local mental health services.

An additional £500,000 will also be made available to health boards this financial year to provide dedicated mental health support for health and social care staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Lochhead said these latest measures will take the total spending on mental health services to £1.1 billion.

The Samaritans have welcomed the recognition by the Scottish Government of the impact of Covid-19 on Scotland's mental health and wellbeing in the Scottish Budget.

Mr Lochhead said: “This Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on many people’s mental health - and it’s welcome that the Scottish Government has recognised this and committed to investing over £1.1billion into mental health services.

“Lockdown restrictions, although vital for stopping the spread of the virus, have themselves had a negative impact on many people’s health and wellbeing, with more people experiencing financial insecurity alongside social isolation and the anxiety of living through a pandemic.

“As such, mental health support is an absolute priority for this SNP Government, and this Budget supports overall mental health spending of more than £1.1 billion, which will contribute hugely to our recovery from the pandemic in Moray.

“This is a significant step forward in the SNP government’s package of measures to improve the mental health support available for children, young people and adults across Scotland.”


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More