Ayr mental health charities have responded to the Scottish Government’s pledge to provide extra funding to tackle the impact lockdown will have on the mental health of Scots.

Last week Nicola Sturgeon announced an extra £1million of funding for services including phone lines and digital resources as the psychological impact of social distancing becomes a growing concern.

But with many outreach services grinding to a halt, charities feel there are issues surrounding accessibility in terms of online support.

Tracy Gilmour, Service Manager at Ayr Action for Mental Health, said: “The way we operated before just doesn’t exist. In a short space of time we have had to completely redesign the services we offer by going down the route of phone support and daily check-ins.

“What I’m seeing is people who don’t have access to a working phones or aren’t online. There are large groups of people who are already marginalised, homeless or living in poverty. The main worry is that these people will fall through the cracks.

“The focus on telephone and digital support misses an opportunity to support people in other ways. We are currently looking at mental well-being kits that give people an opportunity to build their resilience.

“Journaling, meditation, writing, music, aromatherapy oils, mindfulness, colouring books would all contribute to our well-being kits. These approaches are largely overlooked by standard and mainstream services.

“Funding in respect of these kits would be most welcome and again reduce the strain on the NHS by supporting people to support themselves and take an empowered approach in their mental health and well-being.”

Rachel Cackett, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, said: “We welcome actions the Scottish Government is taking, with partners, to support the mental health and wellbeing of people in Scotland during the coronavirus outbreak.

“We are pleased to be working with the government to ensure that people know how to stay well and where to turn if they are struggling. We also welcome steps to increase capacity and expand support services.”

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