SAMH response to EIJB’s decision and Redhall Walled Garden

26th August 2025

Regarding Edinburgh Integration Joint Board's (IJB) decision on proposals regarding the funding of community mental health support in Edinburgh today (26/08/2025), Billy Watson, Chief Executive of SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said:

"We are in a mental health crisis, and community and preventative mental health support is an essential part of how we tackle it. We welcome the IJB's decision not to go ahead with the original proposals which would have effectively ended that support in Edinburgh. However, we are disappointed that a number of impactful support and advocacy services have been cut.

"This process has shown that we need to come together - funders, providers and especially the people who need this support - to jointly design a mental health system that works for and meets the needs of the people of Edinburgh.

"Redhall Walled Garden will continue to provide essential support to people with mental health problems for the time being, albeit with reduced funding and a recommissioning process to come. We're hugely grateful to everyone that came out in support of Redhall, including Edinburgh's politicians, members of the public and, most importantly, the people we support at Redhall and who make it what it is."

END

Papers for the IJB meeting can be found here: (Public Pack)Agenda Document for Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, 26/08/2025 10:00 

The IJB voted in favour of the proposals relating to agenda item 6.1.