Edinburgh’s mental health care crisis and the IJB’s failure of leadership - Simita Kumar
I’ve spent most of my life working in prevention care and mental health services. From my first volunteering role at a care home in Glasgow to years spent supporting people across NHS Lothian and in the third sector, I’ve witnessed first hand the difference mental health services make.
Many people are alive today because someone was there to help them – because services existed that gave them hope, structure, and support. Today, those very services are on the chopping block.
In Edinburgh, the Integration Joint Board (IJB)—comprising five councillors (one from each political party) and five NHS Lothian representatives—is responsible for decisions that affect thousands of lives. With growing pressure on social care budgets and demographic change, their role has never been more crucial. But in their latest strategy consultation, they have failed profoundly.
The consultation period was a mere four weeks. No easy read versions for the most vulnerable communities or meaningful inclusion and engagement of those most impacted.
Most damningly, the word “prevention” was virtually absent. In a city where we know mental health challenges are escalating, where suicide touches every community, such an omission is not just negligent—it is dangerous.
Now, lifeline mental health services delivered by the Thrive collective – organisations like CAPS Independent Advocacy, Change Mental Health, Cyrenians, Health in Mind, SAMH, and VOCAL—face cuts that could devastate entire communities.
These are the very groups that deliver where statutory services cannot reach. They provide early intervention, crisis support, and ongoing care rooted in dignity and trust.
The IJB says it will “save” £2.2 million by slashing these services. But at what cost?
Jobs, potentially up to 100, will be lost. GP surgeries will become overwhelmed. A&E departments will see more mental health crises. Tragically some people will not seek any support and go without help, without hope. The loss of these services is not just a financial equation – it’s a moral failure.
We must call this what it is: a short-sighted, bureaucratic exercise in false economy.
The IJB’s failure to speak up for prevention shows a lack of courage and vision.
Some members have remained silent while cuts proceed under the guise of balancing the books. They have relied on opaque processes, dismissive attitudes, and technocratic language to justify decisions that will have real, human consequences.
Meanwhile, the Edinburgh IJB has a budget nearing £900 million. There are always choices to be made. But cutting front-line mental health support—delivered effectively and compassionately by the third sector—should never be one of them.
I stand in absolute solidarity with third sector organisations who are fighting not just for their own survival, but for the communities they serve. They are doing the work the public sector cannot do alone. They deserve better than silence and cuts. They deserve a seat at the table, not a line on a budget sheet.
This isn’t just about policy. It’s about people. And it’s time IJB remembered that. Cutting mental health services isn’t saving money – it’s costing lives.
Simita Kumar, SNP group leader on Ediburgh City Council