Scottish Parliament – May 28, 2025 – 4

S6M-17670.2: As an amendment to motion S6M-17670 in the name of Alex Cole-Hamilton (Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions), insert at end ";

believes that years of Scottish National Party (SNP) administration mismanagement have led to over 3,000 children and young people waiting to start mental health treatment;

acknowledges that the Scottish Government pledged £55.5 million in 2023-24 to improve neurodevelopmental and mental health services, but that inconsistent referral processes and widespread delays remain;

recognises that some NHS boards, such as NHS Tayside, have stopped all new referrals for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) due to increased demand for assessments;

notes that children and adults alike have faced waits of up to 201 weeks for autism and ADHD assessments, with regions like Grampian and Tayside reporting delays of four years or more;

understands that thousands of children last year waited for neurodevelopmental assessments, with 7,650 children in Greater Glasgow and Clyde alone waiting to be screened;

agrees with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which said that the growing demand for neurodevelopmental conditions services in Scotland poses a systemic risk to the sustainability of mental health services, and acknowledges that waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments in Scotland are at risk of exceeding 10 years within the next few years if urgent reforms are not made by the Scottish Government.”

Original motion(S6M-17670): That the Parliament recognises the scale of the mental health emergency in Scotland;

notes with concern the lack of adequate provision for neurodevelopmental conditions, particularly in the context of a sharp rise in demand for neurodiversity assessments and treatment for adults and children following the COVID-19 pandemic;

further notes the additional pressure on services caused by the global shortage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication, which has led to the closure of titration clinics in some areas and significantly impacted waiting times and access to care;

recognises the profound distress and disruption this causes for individuals and families who are left without timely diagnosis or support;

acknowledges the knock-on effects on child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), as well as the wider economic consequences of rising levels of economic inactivity linked to unmet mental health needs;

notes the pressure that this puts on GPs and primary care;

further notes with concern the widespread removal of shared care arrangements where patients who obtained a private diagnosis could receive ongoing care and medication through the Scottish NHS;

expresses disappointment at the Scottish Government’s failure to meet its commitment to allocate 10% of NHS spending to mental health and 1% to CAMHS;

calls on the Scottish Government to work urgently with NHS boards and local authorities to devise a robust protocol on the use of shared care arrangements to allow for their use where appropriate, and further calls on the Scottish Government to create neurodevelopmental pathways and stepped care models, as recommended by the National Autism Implementation Team and Royal College of Psychiatrists in the 2021 National Clinical ADHD Pathway Feasibility Study.