Ms Robison emphasises the need to support veterans in the long-term.

A managed network approach to create a more sustainable service is being explored, she confirms.

A range of stakeholders will be involved in developing such a proposal she adds.

Turning to mental health, the health secretary confirms the long-term action plan will be established.

She believes the wider mental health strategy will have a positive impact on veterans too.

The cabinet secretary points to £8.5m being invested in the mental healthcare services being delivered by Veterans First Point and Combat Stress over the next three years.

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Health Secretary Shona Robison begins by thanking Scottish Veterans Commissioner Eric Fraser for his report on Veteran's Health and Wellbeing.

Ms Robison tells the chamber veterans are an asset to Scotland.

She says the Scottish government is committed to ensuring veterans get the best support, including health care.

The minister points out that the report calls for a greater sustainable healthcare for health care.

She says the report makes the point strong leadership is required to deliver veteran's healthcare.

Image source, Scottish government

The Scottish Veterans Commissioner's latest report on veterans' health and wellbeing was published last month.

It concluded there needed to be a distinct approach to veterans' health to raise awareness of veterans, expressing concern that the ambition and innovation has "waned" in recent years.

The report also urges for veterans with the most severe and enduring injuries to be at the centre of any approach.

18 recommendations are made in the report, ranging from strategy and funding to access and inequalities.

Read the full report here. , external

Health Secretary Shona Robison will now deliver a statement following the publication of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner's report on health and wellbeing.

Image source, AFP

Image source, PA

After lunch, Health Secretary Shona Robison will make a statement on the Scottish Veterans Commissioner's report on veteran health and wellbeing.

The day will end with the final debate on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Relief from Additional Amount) (Scotland) Bill.

Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt praises the Everyone's Business campaign for playing a significant part in raising awareness of perinatal mental health.

Ultimately we want that raised profile to result in better support for women, she says.

Issues can have a long-lasting effect on the women, their partners and their children, the minister highlights.

Ms Watt suggests perinatal mental health has been prioritised in the Scottish government's wider mental health strategy, hence the funding for the management clinical network.

We want there to be a focus on prevention and early intervention, she adds.

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Green MSP Alison Johnstone says it is clear there is much more to be done on perinatal mental health.

Ms Johnstone states prioritising maternal mental health is a preventative approach.

The Green MSP argues there is very good work going on in Scotland, but adds in seven health boards there are no specialist community perinatal mental health care at all.

She welcomes the new neonatal care fund, but calls for the basics to be in place for all new families.

Lib Dem MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton raises the mental health issues that come with miscarriage.

Every first six week check for new mothers is essential, he says, but more staff need to be adequately trained in perinatal mental health.

He says less than half of mothers are served by adequate services in the local hospitals.

Perinatal mental health issues will impact on people and their families for the rest of their lives, begins Labour MSP Anas Sarwar.

There needs to be a change of culture in how we think about our mental health, he states.

The Labour MSP expresses concern about treatment times for mental health, saying people can wait days for a GP appointment and then weeks for specialist treatment.

When someone has a serious mental health crisis and the response is not immediate, it can be life or death, Mr Sarwar says.

He concludes by welcoming the Everybody's Business campaign and calls for action to be backed by resources.

Image source, Getty Images

More than a third of mothers have experienced mental health issues related to parenthood, according to an online survey of 1,800 British parents by the BBC Radio 5 live and YouGov.

The study revealed that, in comparison, 17% of fathers had experienced similar issues.

More than two-thirds of the affected mothers sought professional help - suffering from conditions such as acute stress, severe anxiety and postpartum depression.

Many of the parents surveyed reported feeling criticised by a large number of people.

Mothers said their parents were the most critical of their parenting (26%), followed by their spouse/partner (24%) and other family members (18%).

About 14% said they had been criticised by strangers, compared with 5% of the 800 fathers who responded to the survey.

Read more here.

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Tory MSP Annie Wells offers her support to the Everyone's Business Campaign.

Ms Wells shares her personal experience after the birth of her son admitting she "felt alone, isolated and was not sure I was doing the right thing"

She says she did not want to tell anyone she was not coping, but adds she is pleased to see the issue is being discussed more openly now.

Ms Wells calls for improvements in antenatal and postnatal health services, so we get it right for every mother.

Image source, Getty Images

"I was in a really negative terrible place.... and couldn't see a way out."

This was the experience of one woman who suffered from depression and obsessive compulsive disorder during her second pregnancy.

A quarter of pregnant women suffer from mental health problems, a study by King's College London suggests.

Anxiety and depression were not the only conditions to affect these women, with some suffering eating disorders, OCD and bipolar disorder.

Read more here.