Clare Haughey – SNP – Rutherglen May 2016. Pic – Andrew Cowan/Scottish Parliament
Kelvin MSP Sandra White and Minister Clare Haughey.
By Democrat reporter
Students in the West End of Glasgow are suffering badly with their mental health due to the Covid 19 pandemic, according to Sandra White, the SNP MSP for Kelvin.
She asked the Minister for Mental Health, Clare Haughey, what action was being taken to address the problem of suicide in her constituency and across the rest of Scotland.
Ms White added: “What increased mental health support is being offered to students in Glasgow Kelvin? In light of indications of worsening mental health in that age group, will people in my constituency and across Scotland continue to be able to access applied suicide intervention skills training to help prevent suicides?”
The Minister replied: “Now, more than ever, it is of the utmost importance that our students are able to receive the mental health and well-being support that they need.
“We are actively considering what additional targeted support is needed for students, to support their mental health and well-being.
“The Scottish Funding Council announced a further £3.6 million in support of our commitment to provide more than 80 additional counsellors in colleges and universities in Scotland over the next four years.
“That builds on last year’s investment and good progress has been made by institutions in putting those counsellors in place.
“We have also funded NUS Scotland to host think positive, Scotland’s student mental health project, which supports students experiencing mental ill-health, tackles stigma and discrimination, and promotes well-being in colleges and universities across Scotland.
“The applied suicide intervention skills training—ASIST—is currently not being delivered, because it cannot be carried out face to face due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“To support the needs of the health and social care workforce during this period, pandemic-specific learning resources were developed by NHS Education for Scotland that give support on responding to people in distress and crisis and on mental health and suicide prevention.”