History of mental health improvement in Scotland

The National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing ran from 2001-2006 and formed part of the Scottish Executive’s wider policy on improving Scotland’s health and reducing inequalities. See the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being: action plan 2003-2006 [PDF: 289kb]

The National Programme was the first step towards trying to change Scotland’s record of mental health problems at a time when Scotland’s suicide rate was on the rise and depression and anxiety were the third and fourth most common conditions reported in GP consultations.

The vision of the National Programme was to improve the mental health and wellbeing of people living in Scotland and to improve the quality of life and social inclusion of those who experience mental health problems.

The Action Plan for the first phase (2003-2006) set out four main aims and six priority areas that have been achieved via a number of major national initiatives and support activities.

Impact of the National Programme

A review of the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing was carried out to assess the impact that it had on mental health improvement in Scotland. See A Review of Scotland's National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing 2003-2006 [external site]

From the review it was identified that the National Programme attracted a significant level of new investment into the field of mental health and wellbeing. There was a broad range and diversity to the work and it was undertaken with energy, enthusiasm, imagination and creativity.

The National Programme promoted mental health and wellbeing using a variety of tools:

  • The wellscotland.info website was developed as an online public resource.
  • The Well? Magazine was used as a forum for debate on mental health issues.
  • Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid training was (and still is) delivered.
  • Mental health literacy training programmes were made available to the general public, workplaces and others.

A number of important changes have occurred as a result of the National Programme:

  • Scotland is now known in WHO and the European Union as an exemplar of policy development and implementation in public mental health.
  • Mental health improvement is no longer viewed as a marginal aspect of health policy and services.
  • New energy has been injected into mental health policy, releasing a considerable amount of creativity, commitment and enthusiasm. Mental health improvement is now seen as an area of innovation and as fostering new possibilities for change.
  • An important focal point within the Scottish Government has been provided in terms of its role as a source of help, support and information on mental health improvement.
  • There is a commitment to developing an evidence-based approach to mental health improvement through research and evaluation, the development of new indicators, communications work, training and capacity-building workshops.

The review formed the basis of the current mental health improvement policy, Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland (TAMFS): Policy and Action Plan 2009-2011 [PDF: 5.84mb]. This policy builds on the successes of the National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Wellbeing.

For more information on the current policy for mental health improvement in Scotland, visit the Current policy section.