Services pioneered in NHS Lothian have been praised by a new report from NHS Quality Improvement Scotland into Scotland’s eating disorder services.
Murray Duncanson, chief operating officer, Primary Care Organisation, NHS Lothian, said:
The group compiling this report was chaired by Dr Chris Freeman, one of NHS Lothian’s consultant psychiatrists and an acknowledged expert in eating disorder services, and NHS Lothian has already addressed the points raised. Our service for patients with eating disorders is acknowledged as being a UK and European leader and we are pleased to note that one of the main recommendations highlights our good practice, in the form of our Anorexia Nervosa Intensive Treatment Team (ANITT), which delivers care to patients with eating disorders in their own homes.
We began the ANITT initiative as a pilot and it quickly proved its worth, with our multi-disciplinary team supervising patients’ meals, giving psychotherapy and providing intensive medical monitoring. Some people with eating disorders are extremely resistant to seeking treatment, and would refuse to voluntarily go to hospital, and this service is hugely effective in helping to support both the patient and their families in their home environments.
However, we are not complacent and we will continue to strive to develop new ways of helping patients with eating disorders and their families. As part of this work, we are intending to create a new position along with our partner boards in the SEAT regional planning group of regional consultant for people with eating disorders. This new staff member will be specifically assigned to the role of being responsible for patients with these issues across the SEAT area, whether they are receiving care at home or in hospital settings. This will give patients and their families one single point of contact for the expert co-ordinating their care. We will begin advertising for applications to this post in spring 2007.