SCOTLAND’S mental health services budget is "wholly inadequate," ministers have been warned, after new figures revealed significantly higher levels of NHS spending south of the Border.
NHS Scotland spent 8.6 per cent of its total funding treating mental health problems, according to a Scottish Government analysis.
In the English and Welsh health services, the figure was 11.9 per cent, the study showed.
The special figures, which the study says are designed to show "why rather than where" NHS cash is allocated, prompted fresh calls for mental health to be given greater priority in Scotland.
The Scottish Government came under pressure last month when it released figures showing lower levels of spending on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) compared with England.
Jim Hume, the Scots Lib Dems health spokesman, said: "This confirms that the support given to mental health services in Scotland is wholly inadequate in comparison to that given in England and Wales.
"We already know that 0.45 per cent of total NHS spending was spent on Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services in 2013-14 compared to 0.7 per cent in England.
"These figures show that there is an overall gap in support which can only lock in a gap in treatment."
He said there were "deep-seated, systemic problems" with mental health support in Scotland, adding: "With one in four people estimated to experience mental ill health in their lifetime, it is high time the Scottish Government reacted to this national scandal."
The spending gap emerged in a new set of figures which breaks down the NHS budget into 23 "disease categories".
The exercise, the second of its type in Scotland, allows a rare comparison of spending with the English and Welsh health services, where figures are routinely compiled using the same categories.
The figures covered the financial year 2011/12 and detailed £9.3billion of spending by NHS Scotland.
Spending on mental health in Scotland fell from nine per cent in 2007/8, the period covered by the previous set of figures.
Despite the gap with England and Wales, mental health was the joint biggest area of expenditure for NHS Scotland along with the treatment of circulation problems.
They were followed by spending on respiratory, gastro-intestinal and cancer treatment, which accounted for 6.3 per cent, 6.2 per cent and 5.9 per cent of the total budget respectively.
Treatment for circulation, gastro-intestinal and respiratory problems were among the areas where spending levels were higher in Scotland than England.
Others areas included respiratory disease and dental work.
Spending on cancer in Scotland was fractionally lower than in England, where it accounted for six per cent of the NHS budget.
The Scottish Government said a special five-year, £100million fund, announced after the period covered by the new figures, showed mental
health services were an "absolute priority".
Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health Jamie Hepburn said: "People experiencing mental health problems are amongst some of the most vulnerable in our country and it’s vital that the health service is properly equipped to give them the support and treatment they need.
"We have been investing heavily for a number of years, and waiting times have come down significantly, despite a rise in the number of people seeking help.
"Scotland was the first country in the UK to have a mental health waiting times target – a sign of how importantly we view this issue."
He added: "There is still more work to be done, which is why we are investing an extra £100 million to further improve mental health services.
"This will include funding for child and adolescent mental health services, and will help bring down waiting times. It will also be targeted at improving access to services, and in particular psychological therapies."
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