Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Leadership Board minutes - September 2025

Attendees and apologies

• Tom Arthur, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing - Joint Chair 
• Councillor Paul Kelly, Spokesperson for Health & Social Care, COSLA – Joint Chair 
• Claire Renton, Deputy Director, Employability, Scottish Government (SG)
• Eddie Fraser, SOLACE lead for Health and Social Care, COSLA 
• Nicola Dickie, Director of People Policy, COSLA
• Eddie Follan, Chief Officer, Health and Social Care, COSLA 
• Gary Jenkins, State Hospital, representing Board Chief Executives
• Alan Webb, Chief Officer of Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway, representing the Scottish Third Sector Interface (TSI) Network
• Laura Kerr, Head of Policy and Workforce, Social Work Scotland 
• Pamela Bowman, Unite, representing NHS National Staff Side
• Mhairi Selkirk, Unite, representing NHS National Staff Side 
• Chris Provan, Royal College of GPs
• Dr Jane Morris, Scottish Chair of RCPsych
• Catriona Dalrymple, Director of Justice, SG
• Pamela Bowman, NHS Forth Valley
• Samuel Williams, NHS GGC
• Chris Byrne, PHS
• Christina Buckton, PHS
• Vicki Ponce-Hardy, PHS
• Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director, Institute of Directors Scotland  
• Gordon Johnston, Chair of Voices of Experience (VOX) Scotland 
• Hussein Patwa, Diverse Experience Advisory Panel  
• Monique Campbell, See Me, representing the Equality & Human Rights Forum
• Gavin Gray, Deputy Director, Mental Health and Wellbeing Directorate, SG  
• Victoria Beattie, Head of Mental Health Workforce, Unscheduled and Primary Care policy, SG
• Hannah Axon, Policy Manager, COSLA 
• Harriet Waugh, Team Leader for Self-Harm Policy, SG
• Gerald Wilson, Head of Mental Health Directorate Support Unit, SG
• Hannah Doherty, Secretariat, SG
• Rebecca MacPherson, Secretariat, SG 
• Claire Jackson, Secretariat, SG
• Matthew Downie, Ministerial Private Secretary, SG

Apologies

• Robbie Steel, Principal Medical Officer for Mental Health (representing the multidisciplinary group of Professional Advisors to the Scottish Government)
• Richard Foggo, Director of Population Health, Scottish Government
• Alison White, Chief Officer West Lothian, representing HSCP Chief Officers
• Angela Jackson, Diverse Experiences Advisory Panel
• Stephen Gallagher, Director of Mental Health, Scottish Government. 

Items and actions

Introduction, Minutes and Action Log

The chair welcomed members to the fourth meeting and acknowledged their ongoing commitment to the strategy. A warm welcome was extended to the newly appointed Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing.

Ministerial Reflections

The Minister expressed appreciation for the work undertaken to date and the support shown to his predecessor. He emphasised a commitment to listening and engaging with the board’s insights. Key themes highlighted included:

• the importance of aligning strategic ambitions with delivery capacity
• a continued focus on social determinants of mental health
• the need for clarity and prioritisation within the broader reform context

Members confirmed the draft minutes were a true reflection of the previous meeting and there were no outstanding actions recorded on the action log.

Delivery Plan Refresh Paper (LB(25)04-01)

Gavin Gray, Deputy Director, Improving Mental Health Services introduced this paper and provided an overview of the current position of the refresh of the strategy’s delivery plan and workforce action plan. 

The Board was asked to:

• note the proposed position regarding work to develop the refreshed plan and intended next steps in the paper
• agree the framing of the plan as outlined in section 2 of the paper
• provide views on the possible policy options for inclusion in the refreshed plan, as outlined at table 1 (annex A) of the paper

Discussion

• Eddie Fraser, SOLACE raised concerns about ensuring visibility of issues affecting children and young people within the new plans
• COSLA confirmed consultation with the Joint Strategic Board for Child and Family Mental Health, and discussion with COSLA Children and Young People Board highlighting priority areas such as crisis support, neurodevelopmental needs, transitions and prevention. Emphasis was placed on ensuring all actions meet agreed criteria including deliverability, cost and impact
• Hussein Patwa,  Diverse Experience Advisory Panel (DEAP) noted the difficulty in prioritising actions due to the breadth of strong options and duplication across themes. They emphasised the need for a holistic approach and highlighted concerns around fragmented support pathways and postcode variations in service provision. Exploring innovative workforce solutions, including remote access and utilising retired professionals, as seen in NHS England was suggested
• Scottish Government acknowledged the challenge of balancing national consistency with necessary local flexibility. Proposed tools were referenced like a target operating model to guide service delivery while allowing flexibility
• Mhairi Selkirk, NHS National Staff Side raised concerns about outsourcing to the private sector, citing risks to governance, accountability and staff wellbeing. They have advocated for investment in NHS-delivered psychological therapies and highlighted existing retire-and-return policies in NHS Scotland
• Scottish Government shared plans to expand the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub by December 2025, including the Enhanced Psychological Pathway to improve access to early interventions, particularly in remote and rural areas
• Laura Kerr, Social Work Scotland welcomed the Strategy’s whole-system ambition but noted the Services Renewal Framework’s NHS-centric focus. They called for greater inclusion of social care and social work perspectives, including community mental health teams
• COSLA co-chair and COSLA officials reaffirmed the commitment to a whole-system response and ensuring social care is central to the framework
• Monique Campbell, Equalities and Human Rights Forum (EHRF) echoed concerns raised by other stakeholders, particularly around the difficulty of prioritising numerous valuable proposals. Gaps were identified in the representation of marginalised groups, with a call for a stronger intersectional approach across all priorities. Emphasis was also placed on addressing stigma and discrimination system-wide, and on building skills and confidence to embed intersectional practice. A greater focus on severe and enduring mental illness, third sector involvement, and community-led support was also requested. Calls were made for improved scrutiny, transparency and accountability in decision-making
• Scottish Government welcomed the forum’s feedback and committed to reviewing their detailed comments to inform the delivery plan. A person-centred approach remains central, with links to the GIRFE model and efforts to ensure support is tailored to individual circumstances. The importance of balancing national policy direction with local delivery responsibilities was acknowledged
• COSLA representatives noted the daily challenges of prioritisation within social care and emphasised the need for clear criteria to guide inclusion of actions in the plan
• Dr Jane Morris, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland stressed the importance of transparency in decision-making, particularly around budget allocation and service continuity. Concerns were raised about competition for limited resources and the lack of visibility into how decisions are made and communicated across the system
• Mhairi Selkirk, NHS National Staffside highlighted concerns about local health board decisions not aligning with broader policy objectives, resulting in job losses and uncertainty
• COSLA noted that agreed criteria - deliverability, impact, sustainability and workforce readiness – is intended to support accountability in action selection within the revision of the strategy plans

• Monique Campbell, EHRF raised concerns about the exclusion of marginalised groups in evaluation work and questioned the rationale provided and called for more inclusive engagement practices

The board noted the proposed position and agreed section 2 of the paper.

Action

• secretariat to provide more information on new job roles being created in Scotland and Held in Mind to member Hussein Patwa

Self-harm Strategy Interim Report

Harri Waugh, Team Leader for Distress Interventions, Crisis and Self-Harm Policy, Scottish Government gave a presentation on the self-harm strategy and action plan mid-term report and introduced the paper (LB(25)04-02), which members had received in advance of the meeting. The self-harm strategy is based on how people who self-harm can receive compassionate focussed support without the fear of stigma. We are now at the midpoint and reflecting on the progress to date. The focus for the next 18 months will be on delivering the medium-term actions.

The board was asked to:

• reflect on the key messages and likely next steps in the mid-term report
• discuss any emerging issues or wider context which may impact upon self-harm awareness, stigma or service responses, identifying how they might support the removal of these barriers

Discussion

• Claire Renton, Deputy Director, Employability, Scottish Government highlighted that factors such as poverty or other barriers can contribute to self-harm and suggested making connections to related areas like child poverty and employability to ensure better policy alignment
• Harri Waugh, Team Leader for Self-harm policy, Scottish Government emphasised the importance of connecting work across policy areas, acknowledging the time pressures faced by other teams, and offered to share key resources and contacts with the board
• Catherine McWilliam, Nations Director, Institute of Directors Scotland noted that the National Suicide Prevention Action Group is highly relevant to this work and asked about the connection between inequality and self-harm
• Harriet Waugh, Team Leader for Self-harm policy, Scottish Government noted the suicide prevention work uses a contribution analysis approach, with ongoing reflection on inequalities. At the halfway point of the self-harm plan, the team is reviewing progress and implementation to inform future actions. A key emerging issue is minority stress, which requires deeper understanding - both of its impact on those affected and of how well services are equipped to respond
• Hussein Patwa, DEAP welcomed using more person-centred language, noting that existing legal and guidance documents still reference terms like custody and detention. They also highlight the importance of addressing inequalities and recognising that self-harm can occur at any stage of life
• Dr Jane Morris, Chair of Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland noted that while self-harm is linked to social circumstances, it affects people from all backgrounds
• Harri Waugh, Team Leader for Self-harm policy, Scottish Government acknowledged feedback and that it highlighted the importance of an intersectional approach

Actions

• board members were invited to send any further comments to the secretariat mailbox

Progress Report

Gavin Gray, Deputy Director for Mental Health, Scottish Government, introduced the progress report paper (LB(25)04-03) and provided a summary and high-level breakdown of the action’s delivery status with a specific focus on areas of risk.

The board was asked to:

• provide feedback on content and format to inform future reporting

No comments or questions were raised.

Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Chris Byrne, Public Health Scotland gave a short update on the monitoring and evaluation framework. A close to final draft framework has been sent to the sub-group for sign-off with the view to publishing the framework in early 2026.

Close

Cllr Kelly and the Minister thanked everyone for attending and contributing to the discussions and confirmed the date of the next meeting is 2 December 2025 (moved to 3 February 2026).