£500,000 announced to support mental health of people worst hit by pandemic

The money is part of the Mental Health Foundation's £2 million UK-wide Covid Response Programme to support the mental health of people hardest hit by the pandemic, according to research.

The programme will help deliver practical mental health support to people whose experience of inequalities before and during the pandemic has left them most in need of support as the pandemic continues and, hopefully, passes.

In Scotland, people who are living with long-term health conditions will be supported by the Living Well: Emotional Support Matters project; a joint venture from the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland.

Each organisation is contributing £250,000 to support eight charities which work with people across Scotland who are living with conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, MS, and arthritis.  

Julie Cameron, associate director at Mental Health Foundation in Scotland, said: “Our £2m UK-wide Covid Response Programme, which includes over £500,000 in Scotland, is designed to alleviate some of the negative mental health impacts of the pandemic among the groups of people who have been hit hardest.

"However, we and our colleagues across the charity sector cannot solve these problems on our own. We welcome the ambitions set out in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government to reduce inequalities and create a Scotland where all can flourish. We encourage continued investment to improve wellbeing, and achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

"Good mental health should be a desired outcome in all policy decisions from education and health to transport and justice, with a recognition that the people least likely to enjoy good mental health are those who face the greatest challenges and inequalities in life.

Toni Giugliano, also from the Mental Health Foundation, said: “This week millions of families on Universal Credit experienced the biggest ever overnight cut to social security. The UK Government must reinstate the £20 per week in the Autumn Budget to protect families from harm.

“Financial insecurity, poverty and debt are well-evidenced risks for poor mental health - the UK Government’s harmful policy will increase insecurity, family and child poverty and lead to greater psychological distress. As a result, we’re likely to see more pressure on over-stretched mental health services in the weeks and months ahead.

“At a time of financial uncertainty, increased debt, rising fuels costs and soaring food prices, this policy will damage the life chances of the most vulnerable. The UK Government must do the right thing and reinstate the uplift.”

The Mental Health Foundation’s ongoing study of the mental health impacts of the pandemic in Scotland has consistently shown that some groups have been particularly hard hit.

People within these groups, including people living with long-term health conditions, are significantly more likely than the general Scottish population to say they feel anxious, lonely or hopeless because of the pandemic and to say they have not coped well with the stress of the situation.

In the most recent survey as part of the study, when asked "overall, how anxious are you about the current lifting of restrictions?" 66% of people living with a long-term health condition said they were "very" or "fairly" anxious. This compares to 50% of all Scottish adults.  

The survey was completed online between September  6 - 13, among 2020 people living in Scotland aged 18 and over.     

For the Living Well: Emotional Support Matters project, the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland is working with charity partners: SISG Enterprises Ltd, The Braveheart Association, Versus Arthritis, Diabetes Scotland, Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, Waverley Care, Clan Cancer Support and MS Mid Argyll.

The organisations will be supported to deliver tailored, mental health support which may include a mixture of practical training, group sessions and individual advice and counselling. 

As well as benefits for the individuals participating, the charities will be supported to increase their capacity to offer mental health support to the people they work with. 

In the next two years, it is hoped that hundreds of people living with a long-term health condition in Scotland will receive person-centred mental health support that recognises the additional challenges, anxiety and stress that physical health conditions can cause.

Professor Ian Welsh OBE, chief executive of Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland: “It has long been known that living with long term conditions can, and often does, have a serious impact on people’s emotional health and wellbeing. This has been further exacerbated during the pandemic as people have experienced disruption in healthcare supports, increased isolation, and felt significant concerns for both themselves and loved ones.”

  “As we learn to live with and recover from Covid-19 supporting the mental and emotional wellbeing of people living with long term conditions must be prioritised.”

  “Recognising this necessity, we are pleased to be working with eight partner organisations on Living Well: Emotional Support Matters, as part of our wider self-management investment, to contribute to the creation of a Scotland where people living with long term conditions can thrive physically, mentally and emotionally.”