Mental health nurses left ‘high and dry’ as calls to helpline double
Posted 05 January 2024 - 09:00
Calls to NHS 24 Mental Health hub regarding psychotic symptoms increased by 100% in two years, prompting calls for increased funding for services and mental health nurse recruitment
Mental health nurses in Scotland are being left ‘high and dry’ as calls to an NHS mental health helpline regarding psychotic symptoms have doubled in two years.
Figures from the NHS 24 Mental Health hub show that such calls increased by 100% in two years, along with an increase in calls for problems relating to alcohol, poor sleep, suicidal acts and suicidal thoughts.
‘Mental health services are at breaking point’
Data obtained by Scottish Labour through freedom of information requests revealed that while the number of calls to the helpline fell overall, the NHS hub received a sharp increase relating to psychotic symptoms, from 5,112 in 2021 to 10,259 in 2023. Calls referring to alcohol rose by 47% from 1,282 calls in 2021 to 1,885 calls in 2023.
Scottish Labour voiced concern about the data and called for increased spending on mental health.
‘It is incredibly worrying to see calls to NHS mental health services regarding serious issues such as suicidal thoughts sky-rocketing. It is clear that mental health services are at breaking point, with the safety of thousands of Scots now at risk,’ said Scottish Labour mental health spokesperson Paul Sweeney.
‘After years of broken Scottish National Party (SNP) promises, mental health nurses and services are being left high and dry. This has to end.’
‘There simply aren’t enough’ mental health nurses
In response to the data, Scottish Labour pledged to install a dedicated mental health worker in every GP surgery and increase the proportion of the health budget spent on mental health if the party were elected.
But RCN Scotland director Colin Poolman said: ‘Demand for mental health services continues to increase. Mental health nurses are highly skilled clinicians working across acute and community services and there simply aren’t enough of them.
‘In November last year the Scottish Government announced it would commission a review into mental health nursing in Scotland, which will consider what more needs to be done to attract, grow, support and develop the mental health nursing workforce and leadership. We are clear that this review must produce fully funded actions to retain and recruit mental health nurses.’
Scotland’s mental well-being minister Maree Todd said: ‘We’re committed to improving mental health service provision in primary care settings and focusing more on prevention and early intervention in the community, providing high-quality mental healthcare in general practice.’
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