Addressing Mental Health Inequalities in Remote, Rural and Island Areas

That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the importance of access to high quality mental health treatment in remote, rural and island communities, including the Highlands and Islands region; understands that waiting lists for mental health services in some rural areas are significantly longer than the Scottish average; further understands that data from the Royal College of Psychiatrists shows that rural areas are particularly vulnerable to pressures on the psychiatry workforce, with, it believes, limited services forcing patients to travel long distances and clinicians to take on unsustainable workloads, and notes the calls for greater investment in mental health provision as a priority, and to provide what it sees as the necessary support, training, recruitment and retention of psychiatrists to reduce any backlog faced by patients in rural areas, and address anticipated future demand.