Today, Public Health Scotland published their delayed Costs Book data for the 2024 to 2025 financial year. Formally known as Scottish Health Service Costs, the Costs Book data provides a national overview of how resources are spent across NHS Scotland.
The latest figures show that reported spending on mental health services has increased by 4.3% in 2024 to 2025 compared with 2023 to 2024, and by 6.7% since 2022 to 2023, excluding clinical psychology expenditure (both in real terms, using 2024 to 2025 prices). As a result, total expenditure rose to £1.52 billion in 2024 to 2025, up from £1.46 billion in 2023 to 2024 and £1.43 billion in 2022 to 2023.
Public Health Scotland notes that the introduction of a new costing system, Patient Level Information and Costing System, will have resulted in some data quality issues, meaning that direct comparisons with previous years should be treated with some caution.
In addition, following a recommendation from Audit Scotland, Public Health Scotland began including clinical psychology expenditure within its mental health expenditure figures from 2023 to 2024 onwards. While this has increased the reported level of mental health spending across most NHS boards, some of the rise reflects a change in the way spending is recorded rather than additional investment.
Commenting on the Costs Book data, Dr Pavan Srireddy, Vice-Chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said:
“These figures represent positive progress and reflect the importance of supporting the nation's mental health. They demonstrate recognition of the growing demand for mental health support across Scotland and the need to ensure people can access timely, high-quality care when they need it most.
“The real test will be whether this investment translates into reduced waiting times, earlier access to care and better outcomes for people experiencing mental ill health.”
RCPsych in Scotland's recent report on the impact of Scotland’s integrated health and social care system highlighted significant concerns around financial transparency and accountability. In light of these findings, the College is calling for an urgent independent inquiry by the Scottish Parliament into the impact of integration on secondary care and specialist mental health services.
Dr Srireddy added:
“Demand for support remains significant and many people still face barriers to accessing specialist care. We urge the Scottish Government to build on this investment and ensure resources reach frontline, preventative and community-based services, where they can make the greatest difference.
“Continued investment will be needed to maintain momentum and ensure people can access timely support before reaching crisis point.
“Policymakers must ensure that investment in mental health, particularly preventative and community-based services, is protected so that people can access support at the point of need."
For further information, please contact:
- Email: scotland@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Contact Name: RCPsych in Scotland
- Twitter: @rcpsychscot