RCPsych in Scotland welcomes funding in the Scottish Budget for people with neurodivergent conditions

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Scotland’s leading psychiatrists have welcomed a funding announcement for those with neurodivergent conditions – which includes autistic people and those with ADHD.

In today’s Scottish Budget, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Shona Robison committed £7.6m for neurodiversity.

The funding comes after months of campaigning by RCPsychiS and the launch of a special paper which looked at why there is a framework and evidence to support the view that Scotland can lead the way in supporting people with neurodivergent conditions.

Dr Jane Morris, chair of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, said:

“This budget had to take account of severe financial constraints, so we acknowledge the Scottish Government’s attempts to at least protect people with mental health conditions from the worst of the cuts, as in recent years these have been disproportionate even in comparison with other medical specialties.

“We’ve campaigned to protect and repair the dwindling service for patients with the most severe mental illnesses. These can only be treated by expert psychiatric teams. Without funding the most vulnerable people in society, together with their families - remain at high risk. 

“At the same time, we lose our most experienced doctors, frustrated by the inability to offer a full service to those patients.  This is partly a matter of direct funding, which we welcome. There are also ways to use scarce resources more intelligently by ensuring that each group of conditions is treated in the most appropriate sector.

“We’ve worked alongside people with neurodevelopmental conditions, so they should not have to be on endless waiting lists designed for people with acute psychiatric disorders. MSPs of all parties have joined our campaigns enthusiastically and it’s immensely gratifying to see this endorsed by providing a budget to make our tiered service recommendations a reality.

“We can't afford any further decline in mental health services. In fact, we need to rebuild them urgently to avert further damage.

“Now more than ever we need to make sure that every pound that is spent on improving Scotland's mental health is spent wisely, and where it can do most good.

“We need national standards and oversight when we commission mental health services and psychiatrists as senior doctors who are experts in this area must sit on every decision-making body."