Proposed Cuts to Third Sector Organisations by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board

That the Parliament notes with concern the reported proposed cuts by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) to services totalling more than £29 million, including, it understands, the majority of contracts to third sector organisations under the Thrive Edinburgh programme, worth £2.2 million; considers that any such proposed cuts would result in the closure of vital community-based mental health services delivered by third sector partners such as CAPS Independent Advocacy, Cyrenians, Edinburgh Leisure, Health in Mind, Media Education, Penumbra Mental Health, SAMH, VOCAL, Wheatley Care and Change Mental Health, which, it understands, currently support 640 individuals through the Stafford Centre; acknowledges that Thrive provides early intervention and preventative support for people with complex mental health needs, including carers, survivors of abuse, veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals, neurodivergent people, and those living with severe mental illness; considers that such cuts may leave many people with mental illness without support and forced into frontline health services, increasing pressure on existing services and budgets; notes the Scottish Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, which states that “there is a strong economic case for investing in early intervention and prevention, as the costs of poor mental health and wellbeing are clear”; understands that Thrive has demonstrated significant economic and clinical value, generating £7.13 in social value for every £1 invested, and that the Stafford Centre has been estimated to save the NHS up to £4.4 million in hospital admissions; notes the wider financial situation of Integration Joint Boards across Scotland, which were reportedly projected to have a £457 million funding gap in an Audit Scotland report, and further notes the calls on EIJB to delay any proposed contract terminations by at least one year to allow for meaningful stakeholder engagement, co-production of a redesigned service model, and proper assessment of the long-term clinical and financial consequences of withdrawing community-based mental health support in Edinburgh.