National Review of Eating Disorder Services Implementation Group: final report

2. Introduction

In 2020, the then Minister for Mental Health announced that we would take forward a National Review of Eating Disorder Services, which would build on the work of the Mental Welfare Commission's report 'Hope for the future - A report on a series of visits by the Mental Welfare Commission looking at care, treatment and support for people with eating disorders in Scotland'.

The purpose of the Review was to provide a full picture of the current system of support that is available for those with an eating disorder, and their families and carers, in Scotland, and provide recommendations for improvements. This covered primary care services, all the way through to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), and specialist adult services.

The National Review published their recommendations in March 2021. Their full report was published in June 2021.

The National Review outlined their vision for eating disorders:

• There is early identification of everyone with eating disorder symptoms and clear signposting to the right level of intervention to prevent disease progression.
• There is a whole system approach to treating and supporting those with eating disorders and their families and carers.
• There is an emphasis on self-management and peer support available to all.
• The physical, as well as mental, health aspects of care are seamlessly and robustly treated.
• Specialist treatment is equitably available across Scotland, is easy to access, and is focused in the community. It should be of the highest quality based on the best available current research evidence and fully equitable to all and not dependent on diagnosis, weight or other severity measures.
• All services work with people with eating disorders holistically, as individuals, maintaining hope irrespective of illness duration and other diagnoses.
• Families and carers are given a high level of support from the start of their loved ones eating disorder, and for as long as they need it.
• Services, including different specialties, work efficiently together to support comorbidities, putting the patient at the forefront of care.

In addition, the Review made the following 15 recommendations to ensure that Scotland meets the Vision within 10 years:

Short-term recommendations are numbers: 1, Covid-19 response; 2, implementation planning; 4, lived experience panel; 6, self-help resources; and 13, families and carers.

Medium-term recommendations are numbers: 3, coordination of national activity; 8, primary care; 9, medical care; and 12, education and training.

Longer-term recommendations are numbers: 5, public health; 7, early intervention; 10, specialist care; 11, workforce planning; 14, in-patient care; and 15, research.

An update on the delivery on all the recommendations can be found in Annex A.

As outlined through Recommendation 2, an Implementation Group was formed to take forward the early planning and delivery of the recommendations:

Recommendation 2: Implementation Planning

An Implementation Group should be set up by Scottish Government. This short-term group will be responsible for the implementation of these service review recommendations, planning for and setting the strategic direction, vision and ethos for improvement and service delivery over the next 10 years. This group should report directly to Scottish Government.