MSP Maree Todd urged to help improve mental health support in Caithness
Far north MSP Maree Todd has been urged to improve the support for people suffering with mental ill health in Caithness.
The plea came at August’s meeting of the Association of Caithness Community Councillors.
Local Highland councillor Willie Mackay said: “Mental health is a big issue here. People struggle to get the support they need.”
Thurso Community Council vice chair Billy Sinclair noted the latest data that showed Highland as having the second highest suicide rate of all of Scotland’s local authorities.
He said: “I wouldn’t be surprised if Caithness has the highest rate in the Highlands.”
Councillor Mackay questioned what someone could do if they were unhappy with the service they received from NHS Highland.
Ms Todd, who was at the meeting in Wick Town Hall, said they could make a formal complaint or, in the first instance, seek a second opinion.
Caithness West Community Council representative Nicky Herd said it is a laborious process to get referred from a GP to see a psychiatrist.
She added: “We don’t have a psychiatrist in Caithness so you struggle to get a first opinion.”
Ms Todd, the Scottish Minister for social care, mental well being and sport, and a former mental health pharmacist, said she is aware the area has been without a resident consultant psychiatrist for some time.
She said the health board in recent years has been increasingly offering online appointments.
She said: “It’s up to the individual whether they want to be seen remotely but the option is available. It’s been widely used and has transformed mental health.”
An NHS Highland spokeswoman said: “We share the concerns of the local community around the challenges of recruiting specialist clinicians to work in remote and rural areas.
“There is a national shortage in this profession, and many candidates prefer to work on a locum / freelance basis rather than taking a permanent post.
“We have a number of locum consultants and speciality doctors within psychiatry who work with us on a regular and long-term basis to provide high quality care to our population.”
The spokeswoman said while there is a locum consultant psychiatrist in Caithness, it continues to advertise for a permanent post.
She added that psychiatrists are part of the care regime, which includes a wide range of mental health professionals, including psychologists, therapists and support workers.