FOI/202600516113 · FOI · not held
Queries regarding Scottish Government involvement with disability groups: FOI release
Information requested
1. How much time do ministers spend listening to organisations that are physical health disability groups (such as Glasgow Disability Alliance, one of many), compared to time spent with mental health disability groups? Independent of services.
2. What is the Scottish government going to do to make mental health care through partner agencies, as accessible as physical disability health care?
3. What action plan has the Scottish government for creating peer support groups that physically disabled people enjoy?
4. What plan is there for creating a safety net for those of us living with mental health disabilities, who are denied treatment and care via partner agencies such as HSCP.
5. How are you going to end people being excluded from organisations such as SAMH, Flourish house, the restart project, you need to be in a psychiatric or psychology clinic to work with you?
6. When is the Scottish government going to end its complicity in the institutional discrimination of people living with mental health by partner agencies? Or must we continue accepting cruel and inhuman treatment?
7. This is not an individual case technically, how many people have been denied peer support or the chance of, since last August?
8. Are these questions getting an answer? Or is the refusal to answer connected to the election, the Scottish Government involved in a cover up of human right abuses in mental health services with its blessing?
Response
1. How much time do ministers spend listening to organisations that are physical health disability groups (such as Glasgow Disability Alliance, one of many), compared to time spent with mental health disability groups? Independent of services.
Under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. If, however, you do not have internet access to obtain this information from the website(s) listed, then please contact me again and I will send you a paper copy.
Ministerial engagements are regularly published and available to the public on the Scottish Government website. This will give you an indication of the amount of time Ministers have spent with organisations.
2. What is the Scottish government going to do to make mental health care through partner agencies, as accessible as physical disability health care?
Public bodies, including NHS and public services, are expected to comply with all relevant legislation and regulations including the Equality Act 2010. It is for service providers to interpret and ensure that they meet their legal duties, including to those whose disability relates to a mental health condition.
For context, the Scottish Government has published a Disability Equality Plan (June 2025) developed in co‑production with Disabled People’s Organisations, and it identifies Improving Mental Health as one of three priority areas. In addition, Disability Equality Plan aligned activity includes disabled people‑led wellbeing support projects that are designed to be accessible, inclusive and trauma‑informed, and to generate learning to support policy and service design.
The Scottish Government published the Core Mental Health Standards to help improve the quality of mental health services. A key priority in developing these standards has been addressing the inequalities in outcomes and experiences for people accessing mental health services. We know that access to and experience of mental health support and services is not experienced equally across the population.
Equality and human rights considerations are central to the standards, which were designed to ensure that services provide mental health care, treatment and support that are free from discrimination or stigma, meeting the needs of all individuals.
The standards specifically aim to ensure timely and consistent access to mental health care and support where needed and delivered as close to home as possible to support treatment and recovery.
Local health boards are responsible for implementing the core mental health standards. This work is also being actively supported by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, which is providing targeted improvement support to help Boards embed the standards and drive continuous quality improvement.
3. What action plan has the Scottish government for creating peer support groups that physically disabled people enjoy?
Our Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy recognises the importance of peer support for mental health and wellbeing and aims to raise its profile. To support this work, we provide £500,000 of annual funding for the Scottish Recovery Network to lead on actions to promote and embed peer support approaches across Scotland.
There are several actions in our current Delivery Plan (e.g. action 2.3 and sub actions) relating to peer support, and reports detailing progress on these actions are also available.
There are a variety of peer support models and projects emerging across the country, many of which have been developed by third sector organisations and community groups and focus on areas such as perinatal support and suicide prevention. This includes the Creating Hope Together project led by Scottish Recovery Network and many others supported through our Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for Adults. The Scottish Recovery Network provide a range of free resources on their website for any organisation and sector to support them to embed peer support approaches.
4. What plan is there for creating a safety net for those of us living with mental health disabilities, who are denied treatment and care via partner agencies such as HSCP?
While the Scottish Government has overall responsibility for health and social care support policy in Scotland, it is for the local authorities and NHS Boards to work with the Health and Social Care Partnerships (HSCPs) to ensure that health and social care support services are in place to provide people with the support that they need.
Decisions on how best to deliver services to local communities - including funding and staffing levels - are ultimately for integration authorities and locally elected representatives to make.
NHS Boards and healthcare professionals in local areas area are in the best position to address any issues with care and support. People have the option to raise a complaint about any lack of care and treatment. All Health Boards in Scotland have a formal complaints procedure which may be able to address concerns directly.
In addition to this, there are key escalation routes and support mechanisms available.
Patient Rights
The Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities helps to protect the rights people have when accessing NHS health services. This includes communication and involving the patient in decisions about their healthcare, privacy and confidentiality, and the right to provide feedback and complaints.
Further information is available on the NHS Inform website, as well as BSL and different languages, at NHS Feedback, complaints and your rights - Health rights | NHS inform
Additionally, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland can provide information about rights and safeguards for people with mental illness, learning disabilities, dementia, and related conditions. Although they cannot investigate individual complaints about services, they may be able to offer guidance. They can be contacted on 0800 389 6809 or via their website.
5. How are you going to end people being excluded from organisations such as SAMH, Flourish house, the restart project, you need to be in a psychiatric or psychology clinic to work with you?
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of the FOISA confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.
6. When is the Scottish government going to end its complicity in the institutional discrimination of people living with mental health by partner agencies? or must we continue accepting cruel and inhuman treatment?
Public bodies, including NHS and public services, are expected to comply with all relevant legislation and regulations including the Equality Act 2010. It is for service providers to interpret and ensure that they meet their legal duties. Please see response 4 for details on patient rights and raising grievances.
7. This is not an individual case technically, how many people have been denied peer support or the chance of, since last August?
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not hold the information you have requested. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of the FOISA confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.
8. Are these questions getting an answer? Or is the refusal to answer connected to the election, the Scottish Government involved in a cover up of human right abuses in mental health services with its blessing?
Freedom of information requests continued to be answered during the pre-election period.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
Under section 25 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), we do not have to give you information which is already publicly available and easily accessible to you in another form or format. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of the FOISA confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information. Therefore, with respect to your request this is a formal notice under Section 17(1) of the FOISA confirming that the Scottish Government does not hold this information.
Attachments
No attachments found.