The Minister for Mental Health, Maureen Watt, in giving evidence on PE1651 on the 18th January 2018, based much of her evidence on the conclusions of a Scottish Government “short-life working group”:
The Minister for Mental Health was of the understanding that this group had been chaired by Dr John Mitchell, the Principal Medical Officer and Psychiatric Adviser to the Scottish Government. It was in fact by Dr Mitchell’s predecessor.
The “short-life working group” published this report in 2014:
On an important and complex matter such as this is, I was surprised to find that the Scottish Government had felt able to publish “Key Information” based on the input of as few as just 5 individuals:
The summary of this 2004 “Key Information” report:
Archive:
The “short-life working group” published this report in 2014:
On an important and complex matter such as this is, advising Scotland as a nation on prescribing, I was surprised to find that the Scottish Government had felt able to publish “Key Information” based on the input of as few as just 5 individuals. I therefore sought the supporting material behind it. This is the response that I received from the Scottish Government on the 19 March 2018:
