FM: “No one should face mental health challenges alone.”

First Minister John Swinney will visit Scottish Action for Mental Health's (SAMH) drop-in hub in Glasgow today to highlight the Scottish Government's plans to expand access to community mental health support across the country.

SAMH's Nook hub provides people with immediate mental health support without the need for an appointment or referral. The First Minister is also expected to show his support for SAMH's Wee Pink Dot campaign.

Ahead of the visit, Mr Swinney said:

“No one should face mental health challenges alone and I want to ensure everyone can access the right support, in the right place, at the right time.

"The Nook from SAMH shows what's possible when we bring mental health support into communities. We will expand on this valuable work as part of our continued focus on providing community-based mental health and wellbeing support.

“We will work with SAMH as they evaluate and expand their model as well as with organisations across the third sector who are providing essential services to keep people well in their communities.

“This complements our recent work to strengthen the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub to offer psychological support for people who call 111 and our commitment to invest additional funding in Scotland's mental health services, with £1.5 billion already being invested each year."

Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH, said:

“We believe that people with mental health problems should be able to ask once and get help fast. The Nook is designed to make that a reality – no waiting lists, no stigma, no need for referrals or appointments.

“We share the Scottish Government's ambition to offer more provision in communities across Scotland and we're thrilled to have the support of the First Minister and his Government for The Nook.”

Background

SAMH is Scotland's largest mental health charity. Information about SAMH's the Nook initiative and Wee Pink Dot campaign is available from its website.

The NHS 24 Mental Health Hub provides urgent mental health support to around 10,000 people each month when they call 111. The expansion of NHS 24's support offer to include Psychological Therapies has been backed with £1.1 million of funding in 2025-26 and an additional £1.5 million in 2026-27.