Y Grŵp Trawsbleidiol ar Anhwylderau Bwyta

Cross-Party Group on Eating Disorders

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Present: Bethan Jenkins AM (chair), Martin Ball (parent), James Downs (service user), Hannah Barnes (Going Public Theatre in Education), Dr Menna Jones (Cardiff and Vale UHB and Cwm Taf UHB), Susannah Humphrey (Beat Cymru), Ewan Hilton (Gofal)

Eating Disorders Framework

Dr Menna Jones outlined the main current issues:

a) Delays in identification of eating disorders by GPs and primary care staff. Guidelines on identification are available (WaMH in PC Leaflet 8, risk assessment documents developed by South London and Maudsley and used nationally), and the need to improve identification needs to be brought to attention more widely and increase awareness in primary care services

b) CAMHS investment for eating disorders: Investment is currently aimed at Tier 4 services for developing services for eating disorders in CAMHS. Tier 3 services need to be supported to improve overall service provision for eating disorders in CAMHS.

c) Tier 4 adult specialist inpatient services review: There is no information currently available regarding progressing the consultation for inpatient eating disorders services in Wales. The project team had its first meeting in July 2012, and a summary of options was produced for consultation in Spring 2013. Written responses to the consultation were collated in June 2013. Stakeholders’ consultation workshops were planned for November 2013 and cancelled due to low numbers of reserved places.

On point a), Ewan Hilton said Gofal had carried out a mental health awareness study among the NHS, but that it had not been eating disorder-specific. It was suggested that some GPs are resistant to dealing with mental rather than physical health issues, while James said that identification was insufficient, with patients having to push themselves.

On point b) Bethan said in her recent meeting with the health minister, he had said he was aiming to bring back treatment of Welsh patients in England. She also said the Assembly’s Children and Young People was doing an investigation into CAHMS and that the Wales Audit Office had carried out two investigations in the past 10 years into the service and had found gaps in service. Ewan said a call for evidence had gone out and that Gofal would liaise with Beat to see if there was any Beat-specific evidence that would be relevant. Martin pointed out that a lack of awareness over eating disorders could cost as much as £700,000 in individual patient care over a decade and that better awareness could lead to a reduction in costs.

On point c), Bethan agreed to write as chair to the Welsh Government for an update.

Feedback from AWEDSIG:

a) Wendy Bell now undertaking training lead role for eating disorders and organising the AWEDSIG conferences 3 times per year. Next conference planned for April 8, to present NHS services provided in South East Wales. Venue to be confirmed.

b) AWEDSIG management committee to develop its constitution, meeting in March to discuss.

Beat Cyrmu

Ewan explained that Gofal and Beat Cymru would be forming a collaboration over the coming year, funding one position. He said that much of the detail, about what work would and could be continued was still under discussion, but hoped to announce that shortly. He said Gofal was talking to LHBs and the Welsh Government about funding, adding that the collaboration would allow Beat Cymru to get in front of different audiences. Bethan expressed concern that Beat staff had been kept in the dark and that she had been approached by people wanting to access the service. She also wanted to know if Beat Cymru would keep its branding, to which Ewan replied that it made sense to keep the status quo.

Susannah highlighted how well Beat Cymru’s work had gone down in schools and how groups had been formed in North and South Wales, but not in Mid Wales. She said she hoped the volunteers could be used to distribute leaflets to GP surgeries and libraries.

Issues to raise

It was decided that:

· The group would write to the Welsh Government on the Tier 4 adult specialist inpatient services review;

· That the group would respond to the CYP inquiry into CAHMS;

· Write to health minister for update on Health Inspectorate Wales  inquiry into the Eating Disorders Framework.

· Invite a representative from the British Medical Association to the next meeting to discuss identification and management of eating disorders by GP’s/primary care?

Any other business

Bethan will be meeting shortly with Tina Gambling, of Cardiff University, to discuss her findings into self esteem in education.

The group agreed to meet in May and then in September.