In a shocking revelation, approximately one in every four senior mental health roles within the National Health Service (NHS) in Scotland remains vacant or is temporarily filled by locum staff. The data, brought to light through freedom of information requests, indicates that out of 586 whole-time equivalent consultant psychiatrist roles, 162 are currently unoccupied. More worryingly, 117 of these vacancies are being handled by temporary staff.
The situation is particularly grim in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, which records the highest number of vacancies. The dearth of full-time appointees is starker in rural and remote areas where the staffing crisis is amplifying the already distressing waiting times for thousands of children and adults seeking mental health services. The resultant pressure is mounting on the existing staff, intensifying the risk of burnout and potentially driving them away from specialist mental health services.
Want to see more SNP fails? – Politics Matters
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/0332f783-52f3-482a-b1c4-8f228036c3e4.jpeg
750
1334
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-04-04 15:05:282026-04-04 15:07:31How Devolution Has Shaped Young Scottish People’s Views on the UK Union
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Scotland-economy.jpg
2000
1414
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-03-20 18:55:072026-03-20 18:55:07LIE AFTER LIE FROM THE SNP: NO, SWINNEY, SCOTLAND DOESN’T ‘SUBSIDISE THE REST OF THE UK’, AS THE FOLLOWING DATA PROVES
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Scotland-politics-SNP.jpg
2380
2380
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-02-23 17:08:102026-02-23 17:10:43Devolution Decoded: Scots Have Consistently Backed the Union
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Campaign-Local-elections-2022.jpg
300
300
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-02-11 18:52:552026-02-11 18:55:57Majority of Scotland Rejects Separation in Landmark Poll
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Unity-England-UK.jpg
2000
1414
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-01-20 19:20:422026-01-20 19:20:42The English and the Union
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/400799b4-e669-4c85-b540-b47c59cb35d7.jpeg
750
1334
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2026-01-01 13:04:282026-01-01 13:04:28SNP Fatalism Is Wrong – the UK Is Not Inevitable to Break Up
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/782ef7a5-9612-4a97-b1b4-8c4c591e9faf.jpeg
750
1334
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2025-12-12 17:11:172025-12-12 17:11:17Scotland at Risk: The SNP’s Broken Economics and False Promises by Stephen Bailey
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/07269484-ef1c-4366-9568-32b7db6f5cfb.jpeg
1334
750
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2025-11-11 19:49:592025-11-11 19:49:59SNP/Plaid Cymru Axis Highlights Legislative Devolution’s Domino Effect and the Balkanization of the UK
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/64d7812a-3755-434c-9ad4-74ddba5bc46d.jpeg
750
1334
sm_admin
https://www.scotlandmatters.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Website-logo-1.png
sm_admin2025-10-27 18:09:152025-10-27 18:09:51AVOID SNP SPONSORED FATALISM-HARD FACT, A SUBSTANTIAL MAJORITY OF SCOTS DON’T WANT TO SEPARATE SCOTLAND FROM THE REST OF THE UK
