For World Mental Health Day 2026, the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland called on the Scottish Government to give mental health equal priority to physical health in its NHS reform agenda. This key message received significant media coverage across Scotland and the UK.
As Scotland faces significant changes to health and social care, RCPsychiS's first and most important principle for NHS reform is that mental health should receive equal priority to physical health in the design, governance and delivery of the reform programme.
The College’s other principles for Scotland's NHS reform focus on aligning accountability with authority and resources, embedding clinical expertise in decision-making, ensuring equitable access to care, increasing funding transparency and building a sustainable workforce.
The College’s updated Mental health at the fault line report outlines its full set of principles for reform of Scotland’s mental health services.
Media engagement
The key message attracted widespread media coverage across Scotland and the UK national press. This included STV News, the Sunday Post, the National, Daily Record, Daily Express and the i Paper.
BBC Scotland News, BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio Orkney, BBC Radio Shetland and Times Radio also covered the campaign in their bulletins, alongside local radio stations including Tay FM and Northsound 1.
The campaign received 33 mentions across broadcast, online and print media, reaching an estimated audience of almost 20 million people.
For further information, please contact:
- Email: press@rcpsych.ac.uk
- Twitter: @rcpsych
- Out-of-hours contact number: 07860 755896