Opening the debate, Elena shared her personal experience as the parent of a child with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). She described the challenges families face when trying to access support, including unclear pathways, delays in treatment and a lack of consistent understanding of different eating disorders.
She made a clear call for action, reflecting the experiences of many families:
“When families say that they feel dismissed, we must respond. When young people say that they are waiting too long, we need to act. When clinicians say that they need clearer pathways, we must provide them. No parent should sit at a kitchen table in tears wondering how to get help for their child; no young person should feel their illness is not the right kind to qualify for support; and no family should feel alone, as we did. Certainly no family should lose their child, as David, who is sitting in the public gallery this evening, did.”
MSPs highlighted that eating disorders are deeply isolating illnesses that affect around 100,000 people in Scotland. Many speakers stressed that community support can make a significant difference. This includes peer support, support in schools, and better guidance for carers and families. There was broad agreement that early intervention is essential but that services are still too often responding at crisis point rather than providing help early.
Several members drew on professional and personal experience. Emma Harper MSP and Carol Mochan MSP both reflected on their backgrounds in healthcare and emphasised the importance of community-based treatment. They highlighted the need to expand access to intensive community and day services, allowing people to receive care closer to home. Emma Harper MSP also raised concerns about the potential impact of mandatory calorie labelling on people with eating disorders and called for policies that protect those at risk.
Maurice Golden MSP pointed to concerning data from the 2024 Scottish Health Survey, noting that around 26% of young people aged 16 to 24 report behaviours or feelings that could indicate an eating disorder. He stressed the need to reduce waiting times and ensure that services can meet rising demand.
Kevin Stewart MSP focused on the importance of improving data collection and ensuring that services are shaped by lived experience. He also highlighted the need to recognise groups who are often overlooked, including men and autistic people with eating disorders.
Across the debate, there was recognition that Scotland has made progress in recent years. MSPs highlighted the 2021 national review of eating disorder services and the 2024 national specification as important foundations for improving care. However, there was also a clear message that progress has not yet been consistent across the country, with ongoing variation in access to services depending on where people live.
Responding on behalf of the Scottish Government, the Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing, Tom Arthur MSP, reaffirmed that improving eating disorder services remains a priority. He said that work is ongoing to implement the recommendations from the national review and strengthen services across Scotland.
He outlined actions, including:
The Minister also acknowledged that more needs to be done to ensure that improvements are felt consistently across Scotland and emphasised the importance of working with people with lived experience to achieve that.
We are pleased to see the strong recognition of Beat’s work throughout the debate, including the impact of our services, research and lived experience activity. It is clear that our campaigning and the voices of our supporters are helping to shape the conversation in Scotland.
While progress is being made, it is clear that more action is needed to ensure that everyone can access timely and effective support. We will continue to work with decision makers to turn this momentum into meaningful change.
Here is a link to a transcript of the debate
You can also watch a recording of the debate