One in five Scots say mental health impacted by long GP and hospital waits

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today warned that NHS delays are causing a “mental health typhoon” and called for the Scottish Government to improve access to GPs and local health professionals ahead of his party leading a debate on the issue in the Scottish Parliament this week.

A survey by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that:

• Almost one in five Scots (19%) say their mental health has been impacted by long GP or hospital waits. This is equivalent to a staggering 851,282 Scots whose mental health has been impacted by long GP and hospital waits.
• 13% of Scots say that long GP or hospital waits has affected their physical health.

On Wednesday 21st February, Scottish Liberal Democrats will lead a debate in the Scottish Parliament noting that the Scottish Government is not on track to hit its commitment to recruit an extra 800 GPs by 2027. The party will raise concerns around workforce vacancies, barriers to diagnosis, referrals and treatments, and pressure on other parts of the NHS such as accident and emergency. The party will call on the Scottish Government to rewrite the failed NHS Recovery Plan and get recruitment and retention of GPs and local health staff such as mental health professionals back on track.

Figures published in December show that the number of fully qualified, full-time GPs working in Scotland has declined for the second year in a row, falling from 4,514 in 2022 to 4,474 in 2023.

The latest NHS Scotland figures show that the equivalent of 1 in 7 Scots is currently on a waiting list.

Mr Cole-Hamilton said:

“This SNP-Green government’s failure to tackle agonising waits for NHS treatment is creating a mental health typhoon.

“Hundreds of thousands of Scots are struggling to see their GP or waiting months for hospital treatment because ministers have driven local health services into the ground.

“Shockingly the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed recently that the budget for Scotland’s NHS will actually be falling in real terms in the year ahead. That’s an abject failure.

“Ministers should change course and back Scottish Liberal Democrat plans for more mental health staff and more health staff delivering care close to home.

“This is now the number one issue coming up on doorsteps across the country. If the nationalists do not change course, they should expect to pay a steep price at the forthcoming election.”