Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment

1 - Aims and outcomes of the policy

A Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment is required to be completed by public bodies to consider how they can reduce inequalities of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decisions or developing new policy. This impact assessment reviews the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy in this context.

Our vision is of a Scotland, free from stigma and inequality, where everyone fulfils their right to achieve the best mental health and wellbeing possible. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy is applicable to everyone in Scotland.

Our outcomes describe the differences or changes that we want to see as a result of this Strategy.

These outcomes are across the whole population. They are:

1. Improved overall mental wellbeing and reduced inequalities.

2. Improved quality of life for people with mental health conditions, free from stigma and discrimination

3. Improved knowledge and understanding of mental health and wellbeing and how to access appropriate support.

4. Better equipped communities to support people’s mental health and wellbeing and provide opportunities to connect with others More effective cross-policy action to address the wide-ranging factors that impact people’s mental health and wellbeing.

5. More effective cross-policy action to address the wide-ranging factors that impact people’s mental health and wellbeing.

6. Increased availability of timely, effective support, care and treatment that promote and support people’s mental health and wellbeing, meeting individual needs.

7. Better informed policy, support, care and treatment, shared by people with lived experience and practitioners, with a focus on quality and recovery.

8. Better access to and use of evidence and data in policy and practice.

9. A diverse, skilled, supported and sustainable workforce across all sectors

As inequalities are often linked with poorer mental health outcomes, there is specific and targeted work in the Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan that we hope will address these.

Mental Health policy officials and Scottish Government analytical team have contributed to the equalities impact assessment and will be involved when additions or changes are made. This Fairer Scotland Duty Assessment pulls evidence from the EQIA (Delivery Plan and Workforce Action Plan) and the Mental Health Equality Evidence Report completed for the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, as socioeconomic status and poverty were included in these.