Course Summary

We are pleased to bring you advance notice of our Mental Health and Wellbeing in Scotland Conference, which will take place in Edinburgh this December.

The Scottish Government has declared its commitment to improving the mental health of the nation through its new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2023.  The Strategy covers all levels of need, from promoting positive mental wellbeing and preventing poor mental health to providing specialist support and care for those with mental health conditions.

The Strategy’s aims of having the right support available, in the right place, at the right time requires the commitment and collaboration of partners across Scotland including the NHS, social care, housing, public health, schools, workplaces as well as the third sector.

Holyrood Insight’s Conference brings together these partners to share best practice in delivering the 3 key pillars of the new Strategy; promotion, prevention and provision of services.

There will be a focus on how to tackle inequalities and support certain groups of people who may suffer disproportionate impacts on their mental health. Speakers will look at local community support for mental health and funding available.

Attend to hear about plans to develop a skilled and diverse mental health and wellbeing workforce by addressing talent attraction, recruitment and retention challenges.

The new Strategy has been heavily influenced by the voices of lived experience. We will explore how service users can help drive the development and improvement of mental health services.

Key Points

  • Get an update on the Government’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy for Scotland and how it will be implemented
  • Explore plans to develop the mental health workforce and ensure its sustainability
  • Learn how to tackle inequalities leading to poor mental health and how to target support to those disproportionately affected
  • See what a multi-agency approach, embedding person-centred choice and control looks like in practice
  • Discover best practice in promoting good mental health through tackling stigma and empowering people to protect their own mental wellbeing
  • Understand how to prevent mental illness through early identification and targeted interventions
  • Hear how specialist mental health provision can be enhanced by increasing scrutiny of services, reducing waiting times and improving service user outcomes
  • Addressing social isolation and loneliness through community support