Mental ill-health amongst staff has become a serious problem within Scotland’s NHS as far too many of our dedicated and exemplary healthcare professionals have become overwhelmed with the daily challenges that they face.
The extent of the issue has been highlighted through the results of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted by the Scottish Conservatives as the data uncovered shows that almost 75,000 staff have been absent with mental health related illness in the previous five years.
The replies to the FOI submissions highlight that a total of 74,013 NHS employees have been unable to carry out their duties on scheduled shifts for reasons including anxiety, depression and stress.
The data also reveals that because of mental health related staff absences in the period since 2018, more than 1.5 million working days have been lost in the NHS.
It is important to note that not all of the FOI requests were responded to fully by every health board in Scotland meaning the true number of working days lost is likely to be considerably higher than the already troubling figure of 1.5 million.
On staff absences, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – the health board region that includes my Eastwood constituency – only provided data for the three-year period between 2020 and 2022 but still had the highest tally in all of Scotland with 16,452 recorded.
More than a half a million working days were also lost in Greater Glasgow and Clyde due to staff experiencing mental health problems.
The FOI data sadly makes clear that frontline NHS professionals, who we all depend upon, have been pushed beyond breaking point and the impact on the mental health of so many of our highly valued healthcare staff is deeply concerning.
Poor workforce planning from the Scottish Government has caused a shortage of frontline staff and this has contributed to the unacceptable situation where large numbers of NHS professionals have become overwhelmed at work.
There now has to be proper consideration from Ministers on how this can be addressed and the figures must act as an urgent wake-up call.
Of course, many people in Scotland more generally are living with poor mental health and greater action is needed to ensure individuals can receive the healthcare support that they require.
One new initiative Scottish Conservatives are calling for is the introduction of Mental Health Ambulances.
Conventional ambulances have bright interior filled with equipment, are plastered with logos and this layout can overwhelm some individuals who are experiencing mental health issues.
Ambulances designed specifically to support people with a mental health problem would have dimmable lights, a peaceful interior, be smaller in size and have space for a friend or relative.
Following successful trials, Mental Health Ambulances are now being rolled-out by the UK Government in England.
It is important that the Scottish Government follows suit by taking similar steps in Scotland to provide appropriate care for people who are experiencing a serious mental health issue and ensure an ambulance to provide support is available in the shortest possible timescale.