Mental Health and Wellbeing Delivery Plan

Promoting Equalities

We know that mental health problems are more likely to be experienced by some groups of people more than others – as we set out in the Strategy, those who face the most significant disadvantages in life also face the greatest risks to their mental health. This includes marginalised groups who experience discrimination, racism or exclusion (social, political, economic or environmental) solely based on age, race, sex, sexual orientation, disability or other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.

Every organisation that delivers mental health and wellbeing services has obligations under the Equality Act to ensure that services do not discriminate or exclude people based on their protected characteristics.

In addition to those with protected characteristics, we recognise there are other groups of people such as veterans, refugees, children and young people, people who are care experienced, unpaid carers, people affected by substance use or those experiencing abuse or homelessness and those engaged in the justice system, who can also face stigma and discrimination when they try and get help for their mental health, or who are more likely to experience poor mental health.

"For far too long, marginalised people and communities have experienced the biggest impacts of poor mental health yet faced the biggest barriers in accessing both the mental health care and the wider things that improve mental health such as good housing, education, social care and policing. Including marginalised voices at the heart of mental health strategy design and delivery is vital to ensuring that everyone in Scotland can experience better mental health. The DEAP panel is not just a place where individual people can help shape our future, but a vital community where we can learn from each other and collaborate to create a truly inclusive future for Scotland." - Maddi, DEAP Panel Member

Consideration must also be given to ensuring people do not experience inequalities because of where they live. We recognise the unique challenges presented by rural and island life which is why the Scottish Government continues to fund the work of the National Rural and Islands Mental Health Forum, chaired by Change Mental Health.

We are committed to ensuring people who are more likely to experience discrimination do not face barriers to accessing mental health support or services when they need it and individual actions across this plan will be subject to robust impact assessment from the early stages of policy development, including Highland and Island impact assessments, ensuring the promotion and advancement of equalities is considered from the outset.

We note that the cause of many inequalities sits beyond the scope of this plan and we will continue to work across local and national government to advocate for the consideration of mental health impact in actions related to the wider social determinants of mental health.

Many existing community mental health and wellbeing supports are focused on priority population groups that we know experience the most discrimination. The Scottish Government’s Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults has been a key development on prevention and early intervention, focusing on ‘at risk’ groups and making sure that a variety of supports are available in local communities to tackle inequalities. This work will continue as business as usual.

We also continue to embed inclusive practice across the health and social care workforce by actively promoting and disseminating the latest equalities-focused learning resources and training.