Recently, we met with the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur MSP, alongside a lived experience representative, to discuss the ongoing challenges facing people affected by eating disorders in Scotland.
Ahead of the meeting, we asked supporters on social media what issues we should raise with the Minister. A clear message came through about people continuing to experience eating disorder services as difficult to access, slow to intervene and overly focused on crisis care rather than early support.
We used this feedback to underline these concerns, and our lived experience representative shared their own experience of struggling to access diagnosis and treatment.
The Minister engaged positively with these issues and agreed that existing government policy commitments must translate into real, tangible improvements for people seeking support. We also discussed services Beat can provide to strengthen support and these conversations will continue with government officials. The Minister was particularly appreciative of the contribution of Beat’s lived experience panel and the role it has played in shaping NHS resources.
While this meeting represents encouraging progress, we know that there is much more work to do. We will continue to push for meaningful improvements in how eating disorder services are delivered in Scotland and will keep supporters updated as this work progresses.