Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally.

The involvement of family members in the child or young persons treatment is seen as important. Where appropriate to do so the child or young person and their family will be offered family meetings and/or family therapy. The child or young person will also have meetings with the health care professionals. Normally the family will also be kept informed of progress in treatment.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland now known as Health Improvement Scotland produced a Patients guide to Eating Disorders in Scotland:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/default.aspx?page=12455,

which gives recommendations for identification, management and treatment of eating disorders inn adults, young people and children. The document also contains details of useful internet sites which contain content for patients, their families and carers.

The Mental Health of Children and Young People: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and care by 2015 includes a specific section on school years that requires all health boards to work in partnership with local authorities, the voluntary sector and schools. As part of this role NHS boards should make available a named link person to every school (or alternatively have a clearly articulated link system) to ensure that the mental health needs of pupils which includes eating disorders are identified at the earliest opportunity and that good links are in place with local CAMHS services.

By delivering closer working relationships between specialist mental health clinicians, such as psychiatrists and schools, children and their parents or carers should benefit from an increased confidence of teachers identifying where specialist help is needed.

Education authorities are responsible for ensuring that their staff have the necessary skills, knowledge and competences to recognise and support the learning needs of the children in their classroom to enable them to learn effectively.

Hands on Scotland: http://www.handsonscotland.co.uk/

provides a toolkit for teachers, carers and anyone working with children giving practical information on eating disorders, anxiety, phobias, bullying and many others.

This information is not held centrally

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities, to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities are the responsibility of relevant local agencies. The provision of care for people with mental health problems is the responsibility of GPs, NHS boards and local authorities working with partners in the private and third sectors.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland now known as Health Improvement Scotland produced a Patients Guide to Eating Disorders in Scotland.

which gives recommendations for identification, management and treatment of eating disorders in adults, young people and children. The document also contains details of useful internet sites which contain content for patients, their families and carers.

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/default.aspx?page=12455

If parents are refusing treatment for their child against the advice of the clinicians in charge of their care, the child may be subject to the supervision of the local authority, under the child protection regime contained in the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 Part 2. A children’s hearing operating under this part of the act can be asked to attach a condition of treatment to a supervision requirement.

If it is believed that the child is severely ill and they or their family refuse treatment considered to be essential, it may be possible for the lead clinician involved in their care to overrule their decision. If the situation is thought to be very serious, then it is possible for the child to be treated without either the child’s or their parents consent under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

This information is not held centrally.

The majority of children and young people with an eating disorder will be treated in the community by local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). A small number will be referred to specialist in-patient services. A wide range of treatment and therapeutic interventions will be available to respond to the assessed needs of individuals in line with national guidelines.

The involvement of family members in the child or young persons treatment is seen as important. Where appropriate to do so the child or young person and their family will be offered family meetings and/or family therapy. The child or young person will also have meetings with the health care professionals. Normally the family will also be kept informed of progress in treatment.

The majority of children and young people with an eating disorder will be treated in the community by local child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) or through referral to specialist in-patient services.

In patient services, for adolescents are provided by three regional units in Scotland. These are the South of Scotland based at Royal Edinburgh Hospital with 12 beds serving Lothian, Fife & Borders; West of Scotland based at Stobhill Hospital Glasgow with 24 beds serving Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Forth Valley, Lanarkshire, Dumfries & Galloway and Ayrshire & Arran and the North of Scotland based in Dundee with six beds, serving Tayside, Grampian, Highland, Shetland, Orkney and Western Isles.

To meet demand the North of Scotland planning group are currently developing an outline business case for rebuilding of the Dundee unit to include the addition of further six beds.

The following guidelines are available to health professionals who deal with people under 16 with an eating disorder:-

Recommendations for the management and treatment of eating disorders in Scotland were published in 2006 and remain relevant:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/previous_resources/best_practice_statement/eating_disorders_in_scotland.aspx.

A Patient’s Guide followed in 2007:

http://www.healthcareimprovementscotland.org/previous_resources/best_practice_statement/eating_disorders_-_guide.aspx.

The Scottish Government sets national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities, to support implementation of policy. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities are the responsibility of relevant local agencies.

Services for people with eating disorders are planned and delivered on a regional and local basis by NHS, local authority and independent and voluntary sector providers reflecting the level of specialisation required to meet individual’s clinical needs.

People with an eating disorder, and their families, will also benefit from the range of improvements being delivered as part of the Scottish Government’s wider mental health improvement programme for example through increasing access to psychological therapies and the significant investment in improving access to specialist child and adolescent mental health services.

The Scottish Government is consulting on the future direction of its mental health strategy until 31 January 2012 and proposals are set out at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2011/09/01163037/0.

This information is not held centrally.

Appropriate management and treatment of eating disorders requires input from a number of disciplines and a range of specialist professionals working together across hospital and community settings will be involved. These may include clinical psychologists; psychiatrists; dieticians; social workers; family therapists; occupational therapists; art therapists; pharmacists, and general physicians.

Significant investment to deliver faster access to specialist child and adolescent mental health services in the community, and in the CAMHS workforce has seen the overall clinical workforce increase by 33% since 2008.