24 October 2025

“It’s the start of a culture shift in how Scotland supports mental health”

Member Spotlight: Ewan Hay, Service Manager at The Nook from SAMH in Glasgow, shares how the project aims to break down barriers to accessing mental health support.

The Nook is the most ambitious project in SAMH’s 102-year history. Beyond that, it is the largest mental health charity initiative in Scottish history. It’s a groundbreaking £10 million plan that aims to revolutionise access to support for tens of thousands of people.

The Nook in Glasgow, where I am manager, is the first in a national network of walk-in mental health support hubs, enabling anyone in Scotland to ask once and get help fast.

We know that Scotland is in a mental health crisis, with demand increasing, waitlists growing and services stretched to breaking point. The Nook is our response. It provides barrier-free access to mental health support, with no need to book an appointment or get a referral, in a safe, welcoming, stigma-free space.

It will also help to relieve pressure on the NHS by supporting people that may be on a long waitlist, delivering preventative care and early interventions. Before this role, I worked as a paramedic and project coordinator. I saw firsthand how delays and long waitlists for mental health support can have a significant impact on people’s wellbeing. When I heard about The Nook and SAMH’s commitment to offering support with no need for a referral or waitlist, I knew it was something I wanted to be part of.

What makes this role unique for me is the combination of professional and personal purpose. As a paramedic, I was often the first person to meet someone in crisis, but I rarely got to see what happened after that first call. Here, I get to be part of the ongoing support, seeing people move from that first ask for help to recovery, sometimes just through a single meaningful conversation.

Help at The Nook ranges from one-to-one support and group sessions to talking therapies. We will also roll out an extensive outreach programme, helping many thousands more based in surrounding areas.

But the real innovation isn’t just in what we offer, it’s how we offer it. The Nook is about human connection first and foremost. We meet people as they are, not as a referral or diagnosis. I believe that’s crucial: when you remove barriers, when you make it easy to ask for help, people actually do. That’s where real prevention begins.

A photograph of the interior of the Nook in Glasgow, showing a cosy seating area with a window seat and a red armchair next to a small table.Our expertise is non-clinical mental health support, so the space has been deliberately designed to be welcoming, accessible and inviting. I’m fortunate that in addition to my team of practitioners, I also have the support of trained volunteers to welcome anyone who walks through our doors.

As a team, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to make The Nook feel different, less like a service, and more like a community. Everyone who comes through the door is treated as an equal. There’s no stigma, no judgement, and no time limits on being heard. My hope is that this approach helps people reconnect with the idea that support can be simple, human and immediate.

The Nook in Glasgow opened its doors this month, with Aberdeen to follow next year and plans for Edinburgh, Inverclyde and Lanarkshire already in the works.

For me, this is more than just the start of a project, it’s the start of a culture shift in how Scotland supports mental health. If The Nook proves anything, I hope it’s that we can build systems that put compassion and accessibility at the heart of everything.

Back

12 November 2024

“From surviving to thriving – how the stories of the people we support give me hope”

Member Spotlight: Marking a year as CEO of Recovery Across Mental Health (RAMH), Peter Jung celebrates the charity’s work, urging you to be kind to others – and yourself

I write this as my first-year anniversary as CEO of RAMH fast approaches. It has been a very quick year. I joined as my predecessor; Stephen McLellan retired after more than 30 years at the helm. Stephen took RAMH from its small beginnings, to where it is now: a valued and respected Mental Health charity that has supported so many people to move their lives on to a better place.

A couple of years ago, there was an effort to re-align our organisations’ values. This exercise involved everyone connected to our organisation; peers, staff, Board members, equally. We agreed on four key values – Hope, Inclusion, Respect and Empowerment. These four values underpin all that we do and are the foundation for our culture. They also influenced my decision to apply for this role in the first place. Who wouldn’t be drawn in by these very inspiring values?!

RAMH is not the biggest social care organisation in Scotland but it is recognised as being good at what it does, and I believe it punches well above its weight. Last year we engaged with just over 5400 people and had a further 1140 enquiries. Our support ranges from brief connections, typically through our crisis lines, right up to round the clock support and all stops in-between.

A big part of what we do is to offer people an alternative and better future, and I have been struck by the remarkable stories people have shared with me. Stories that began with a simple will to survive, that evolved into a life where they thrive. Our peers play a key role in giving others the hope that they too can turn things around. There is always a danger in designing things with yourself as the user, so our peers offer an authentic voice that is hard to replicate. I am also pleased to share that a couple of weeks ago, we co-opted two peers on to our Board. I see their inclusion as a strong statement of intent.

I am hugely grateful for the kindness we continue to be shown from the people in the communities in which we serve. From large donations from local groups, schools and business, to personal donations from individuals who have made a particular fundraising effort, like ‘the kilt walk’. This generosity underlines that we are known and recognised in our communities and that the work we do is valued.

It might also be a reflection on the connection we’ve developed through our work, both to members of the public and our network of partner organisations. Our wellbeing maps are a good example of this. These were developed in partnership with a local primary school and now have around 1000 hits a month on maps that cover Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. The maps pinpoint local connections and community resources that help support people’s mental wellbeing.

🗺️ Take a look at our wellbeing maps: Renfrewshire | East Renfrewshire

Much of what RAMH does is focussed on early intervention and prevention. The importance of early intervention and prevention is underlined in the Scottish Governments’ Mental Health strategy. I firmly believe that getting support to people as early as you can, gives the best possible chance to reduce the impact poor mental health has on the person, their family and those that care about them. Reaching people early, before medical intervention is needed, not only provides the best opportunity to improve lives but also helps relieve the growing strain on an overburdened mental health system.

We actively participate in National and International events such as World Mental Health Day and Suicide Prevention Day. We work with others such as ‘Walk Lighter’ to amplify our reach and impact. We recently partnered with ‘Walk Lighter’, a small local suicide bereavement group in Renfrewshire, to plant remembrance trees in Ferguslie, Ralston, and Barrhead. The initiative aims to honour those lost to suicide and start more open conversations about this urgent issue, especially in light of the rising number of suicides reported this year.

Awareness days like these offer a timely reminder to take stock and check things are ok — not only with the people we support, but with ourselves as well. When we spend our days providing essential care, it is easy to overlook our own wellbeing. Our lives, both inside and outside work, have become busier and busier. I am sure the relentless pressure to do more with less, weighs on you as much as it does me. So take time to look after yourself and those around you, and be kind to each other too, please.

Find out more about RAMH’s work

Back

24 January 2024

Rethink To 13 interview: “Who looks after my mental health, while I look after others?” 

As part of our campaign calling for the government to rethink pay commitments in the 2024-25 Budget, Partners for Inclusion Support Practitioner Natalie tells us about the impact a wage increase could have

“I have been a support practitioner for 20 years and in that time a lot has changed. My role has become increasingly more complex with many new health and social care skills to learn. However, one thing that hasn’t changed over time is the unfair rate of pay!

Compared to others with similar skill sets and responsibilities like teaching assistants, community support and NHS care assistants, support practitioners work the last 3.5 months of the year for nothing. That is how big the pay gap is!

I work with someone who experiences poor mental health and since the pandemic and Brexit we have struggled to recruit support practitioners. This has an impact on me and the person I support.

People’s mental health deteriorated during Covid and as a result our workload has increased.

This has meant working longer hours and often missing days off and not having as much time as we would like to attend to our own mental health and self-care. This has an effect on the relationships I have with my family and friends because at times there are just not enough hours in the week.

Having a fairer rate of pay would encourage people into the sector and retain the staff we have and as a result there would be less people suffering from burn-out and sickness.

One in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace and evidence shows that 12.7% of all sickness is attributed to mental ill health.

Having a fairer pay rate would mean I have time and money to look after myself and in turn mean I would be in an even better position to ensure supported people live their lives to the full.”

Partners for Inclusion is an independent charity providing individualised support for people with learning disabilities and/or mental health services. Find out more.

Visit our campaigns page for more information on Rethink To 13.

Back