Meetings

The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales and agreed to close both petitions given that a detailed independent review of eating disorder services has been carried out and the Welsh Government is scrutinising health boards’ responses to the review’s recommendations, as well as providing additional resources itself.  The Committee also agreed to congratulate the petitioner on their work to achieve improvements in eating disorder services in Wales

The Committee considered the petition alongside P-04-505 Eating Disorder Unit in Wales and agreed to continue to keep a watching brief until the Welsh Government formally responds to the independent review carried out by Dr Jacinta Tan.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to maintain a watching brief during the eating disorder review being carried out until autumn 2018 and await further updates on progress before considering whether or not to take any further action.

Members considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write back to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to ask for details of the timescales in which he intends the review of the Welsh Government’s Eating Disorder Framework to be carried out.

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport and the petitioner and agreed to:

• Write to the Cabinet Secretary to ask whether any consideration is being given to extending the services highlighted by the petitioner namely:

• increasing the capacity of the specialised eating disorder CAMHS service which was established using previous Welsh Government funding to train clinicians across Wales;

o   replicating the regional specialist eating disorder team (SPEED Team) currently operating in North Wales in other parts of the Welsh NHS; and

·         Consider taking further evidence on the petition in due course depending on the response received.

The Committee considered correspondence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport and agreed to:

• write to the Cabinet Secretary asking him for more detailed information on:

o   how the Welsh Government intends to improve the provision of child and adolescent eating disorder services;

o   the numbers of children and adolescents suffering with eating disorders and the capacity of current services to deal with the demand; and

• once the Cabinet Secretary’s response has been received, consider whether to carry out further work on the petition or request a Plenary debate.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport to share the comments made by the petitioner and ask for an update on how the additional funding for eating disorder services in 2017-18 will be used.

Bethan Jenkins declared the following relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

She is Chair of the Cross Party Group on Eating Disorders.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to draw together the history of the Committee’s consideration of the issue and report to the Assembly before closing the petition.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         ask the Clerking team to explore any recent work undertaken by the Cross Party Group on Eating Disorders; and

·         re-consider the petition at the next Committee meeting on 6 October.

 The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

• continue to keep a watching brief on the petition while also asking the Minister to respond to the petitioner’s recent comments; and
• ask the Minister for further details of how the recent announcement of an additional £7m of funding for CAMMHS would support services for children and adolescents suffering from eating disorders. 

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         Ask the Minister for Health and Social Services for his comments on Ms Missen’s correspondence;

·         Maintain a watching brief on the matter and ask the Minister to be kept informed of developments: and

·         Notify the petitioner of the CAMHS review due to be launched on Thursday 26 February to allow them the opportunity to submit their views should they wish to do so.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to seek further comments from the petitioners.

CYPE(4)-21-14 – paper to note 6

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·         consider petitions P-04-408 and P-04-505 separately in future; and

·         draw the petitioner’s attention to the Children, Young People and Education Committee’s Inquiry into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services; and

·         forward details of the petition to the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to the Minister for Health and Social Services seeking his views on the further points raised by the petitioner.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to:

·                     ask the petitioners whether they are satisfied with the Minister’s response;

·                     write to the Minister asking him to review the position after 12 months and for a plenary debate on the issue in the light of any review; and

·                     ask the Research Service to produce a paper on the position once the Minister has completed a review, possibly with a view to a short Committee report to help inform any plenary debate.

Helen Missen, Petitioner

Susannah Humphrey, B-eat Cymru Project Manager

Dr Robin Glaze, Lead Clinician for the North Wales Adolescence Service

Helen Missen, Susannah Humphrey and Dr Robin Glaze answered questions from the Committee.

Mark Drakeford AM, Minister for Health and Social Services

Jo Jordan, Director of Corporate Services & Partnerships

Dr Sarah Watkins, Head of Mental Health, Vulnerable Groups & Offenders.

Mark Drakeford AM, supported by Jo Jordan and Dr Sarah Watkins answered questions from the Committee.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to;

·         take oral evidence on the petition from the petitioners and the Minister for Health and Social Services; and

·         write to the Minister for Health and Social Services prior to him giving evidence, highlighting the petitioner’s continued concerns about inadequate funding and services for young people with eating disorders.

The Committee considered correspondence on the petition and agreed to write to:

·         the Minister for Health and Social Services highlighting the concerns of both BEAT Cymru and the petitioner;

·         the Chair of the Cross Party for eating disorders asking for her views on the petition; and

·         dependant on capacity, possibly take oral evidence.

The Committee considered correspondence in relation to this petition and agreed to write to BEAT to seek its views on the Ministerial response and to ask whether it feels support services for children and adolescents with eating disorders are sufficient in Wales.

The Committee considered this petition for the first time and agreed to:

Write to the Minister for Health and Social Services to seek her views on the petition;

Refer the petition to the Cross-party Group on Eating Disorders.

It was also noted that there is to be a review of the adult eating disorder framework.