1 in 4 senior mental health roles missing a permanent appointee

After new research by his party revealed that around 1 in 4 senior mental health roles is either vacant or being filled by locums, Scottish Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that the country’s mental health emergency will never be resolved unless the SNP get serious about staffing.  

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request to health boards has revealed that:  

• 162 consultant psychiatrist roles out of 586 whole time equivalent roles (WTE) across Scotland are currently vacant.

• The health board with the largest number of vacancies is NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde which currently has 42 WTE vacancies.

• Neither NHS Shetland nor NHS Western Isles have any permanent consultant psychiatrists in place, while more than 40% or roles are vacant in NHS Fife, NHS Borders and NHS Grampian.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:    

“There is a dangerous staffing crisis within NHS mental health services, with vacancies at particularly high level in rural and remote parts of the country.

“A significant number of the most senior mental health roles are either lying empty or being filled on a temporary basis, carrying grave repercussions for both staff and patients. These vacancies will only add to the devasting waiting times that thousands of children and adults are already having to endure, while putting existing staff under further pressure and strain.  

“The SNP Government has compounded this emergency by stripping £50m from the mental health budget last winter, a reckless decision that was swiftly followed by Humza Yousaf breaking his personal commitment to clear waiting lists by the spring.    

“Mental health services are crying out for new hope. Alongside increasing the number of consultant psychiatrists in training to plug these gaps, Scottish Liberal Democrats would roll out more counsellors in schools and deliver more mental health professionals in GP surgeries and A&E departments.”