Patients who made compensation claims in relation to their mental health care have been paid more than £2.6 million, new figures have shown.
A number of health boards across Scotland were forced to reach financial settlements in relation to treatment, including negligence claims.
The true figure is likely to be even higher, as some organisations refused to release the information on confidentiality grounds.
Scotland in Union, the largest pro-UK campaigning organisation, said the figures provided more evidence that the NHS was operating under immense pressure as a result of Scottish Government mismanagement.
NHS Lanarkshire recorded the highest level of payments, with almost £1 million spent since 2019/20.
Health chiefs in Glasgow, Lothian and Ayrshire and Arran also sanctioned sizeable payouts, while smaller settlements were reached in Fife and Dumfries and Galloway.
The total figure of £2,695,558 was revealed following a Freedom of Information request by Scotland in Union.
Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said:
“Scotland’s NHS is under immense pressure, a problem made worse by years of SNP neglect and mismanagement.
“Mental health care is clearly feeling the strain as much as anywhere, and the high level of compensation pay-outs would suggest a system at breaking point.
“We don’t know why each of these cases occurred or the exact circumstances around them. But we do know the SNP has come up short when it comes to prioritising mental health in the NHS over its 17 years in power.
“If the nationalists had spent less time pursuing divisive constitutional goals, and more time focusing on the things that really matter, perhaps mental health services would be better equipped to care for vulnerable patients.”
Notes:
Below is the total compensation paid out by health boards in the last five years in relation to mental health care. For full copies of the FoI responses, contact Scotland in Union.
Ayrshire and Arran - £595,150
Borders – refused
Dumfries and Galloway - £144,750
Fife - £31,500
Forth Valley – no response
Grampian – zero
Greater Glasgow and Clyde - £504,070
Highland – refused
Lanarkshire - £964,588
Lothian - £455,500
Orkney – zero
Shetland – zero
Tayside – no response
Western Isles – zero
Total - £2,695,558
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