Today, the Scottish Government unveiled their 2026-2031 Programme for Government. Commenting on the announcement today (1st September), Nick Ward, CEO at Change Mental Health, said:

Change Mental Health work across Scotland to support people living with severe and enduring mental illness. Time and again, we see the real human cost that comes from public services are often confusing to navigate, difficult to access and who don’t always coordinate around the needs of the person we all want to help.

That’s why today’s Programme for Government is a huge opportunity to rethink how Scotland works: where power lies, the level of agency people have over their lives and communities, and how we can all work together to get people the support they need. Any future reforms must ensure that the needs of people in a variety of different local circumstances are taken into account including those in our more rural and island communities.

We know that too often people have to fight the system to get the support and care that they are entitled to and in moving to fewer, larger health boards the Scottish Government must ensure that there are adequate levels of accountability so that individual’s needs, issues and rights are not ignored by an enlarged, distant and unresponsive bureaucracy.

Prevention must be at the centre of how public services work. How we track spend and outcomes will determine how Scotland invests now to save lives and reduces pressure on public spending in the future.

Change Mental Health look forward to playing a full and active role in conversation with partners across local government, regional health boards and integration joint boards, as well as across Scotland’s political parties. This will be a debate that shapes Scotland for decades to come.

Mental health affects every policy area and every community. Change Mental Health has a proud track record of collaboration, delivery and innovation, and we’re excited to join the national conversation and build a future where no one faces mental illness alone.

The Programme for Government is available to read on the Scottish Government website.