National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland - Consultation Analysis Report

2. Quantitative summary

This chapter provides an overview of the level of agreement recorded across 24 closed consultation questions covering all aspects of the National Specification and the nine Outcomes.

The following table presents the results of each closed question based on those who answered each question, enabling a comparison across criteria and components. Please note that the row percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding. Full data tables can be found in the following chapters.

Q1 to Q4 focused on the overall specification. While the vast majority agreed to some extent with Q1 and Q2 that the specification will improve the experiences and outcomes of people accessing eating disorder care and treatment, agreement was lower for Q3 and Q4. Seven in ten (69%) agreed to some extent that the Specification successfully set out to individuals, their families and carers what they can expect when they access eating disorder treatment (Q3) and 73% agreed to some extent that the specification helps make sure that everyone’s needs are met (Q4). These were the lowest levels of agreement recorded across the 24 closed questions. Strong agreement was also lower for the first four questions compared to the remaining questions.

Q8 to Q33 covered the nine Outcomes in the Specification. Very high levels of total agreement were recorded across all outcomes, with small levels of disagreement only recorded in five of the 18 questions.

The highest levels of total agreement were recorded for Outcome 8 – Education and training, Outcome 2 – Service structure, Outcome 9 – Shared and supported decision-making, and Outcome 4 - Supporting people with co-occurring considerations and comorbidities. The highest level of strong agreement across the Outcome questions was recorded in Q39, with 49% strongly agreeing Outcome 9 – Shared and supported decision-making will improve the experiences of people accessing eating disorder treatment.

The lowest levels of total agreement were recorded in relation to Outcome 7 – Discharge and Outcome 5 - Assessment and medical monitoring. The latter recorded the lowest level of strong agreement across the Outcome questions, with 21% strongly agreeing that Outcome 5 will improve the experiences of people accessing eating disorder treatment.

Q36 and Q37 considered implementation and measurement. Both proposals were supported by 86% of those who answered, with 51% strongly agreeing at Q37 that the Specification should be measured using a range of indicators; this was the highest level of strong agreement recorded across the questions.

While these closed question results are very positive, it should be noted that many respondents caveated their agreement in their open comments by raising concerns or highlighting points which need to be considered to ensure the effective implementation of the Specification.