Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-42957

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to improve discharge protocols for those with eating disorders to ensure that they continue to receive support and care.

The National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland, published by the Scottish Government in 2024, makes clear that discharge from eating disorder services should be planned, collaborative, and based on individualised goals of treatment.

The Scottish Government continues to support NHS Boards in implementing the Specification, and the recent self-assessment tools that were completed by Boards have highlighted good practice that can be shared, as well as areas where Scottish Government support is needed.

Question reference: S6W-42942

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in eradicating the variability in eating disorder services across the country to create quality treatment for all.

The National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland aims to reduce variability in services while acknowledging the diverse population needs of Scotland and the need for responsive implementation aligned with local models of delivery and partnership working.

The Scottish Government continues to support NHS Boards in implementing the Specification, and the recent self-assessment tools that were completed by Boards have highlighted areas where Scottish Government support is needed.

The Scottish Government also provides funding to Beat to deliver the Eating Disorder Lived Experience Panel, a key recommendation from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services.

The panel brings together individuals of different ages and experiences of eating disorders. Members provide advice and evidence from the perspective of lived experience in order to inform the ongoing delivery of the recommendations of the Review and support the work of the National Eating Disorder Network.

Question reference: S6W-42955

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what efforts it is making to enhance research into eating disorders.

The Eating Disorder Network is supporting the Scottish Government on how best to implement Recommendation 15 of the National Review, which asked the Scottish Government to consider funding eating disorders research through NHS Research Scotland.

The Network has hosted a series of research into practice seminars including the National Eating Disorders Specification – Implementation and Challenges hosted in partnership with eating disorder charity Beat.

400 clinicians, carers and people with lived experience from across Scotland signed up for the webinar, focused on steps that services can take to implement the National Specification. The sessions included guidance on routine outcome monitoring using the core dataset from the ED Clinical Research Network, how to engage meaningfully with those with lived experience, and examples and learning from successful all age services with self-referral pathways.

Question reference: S6W-42947

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that hospital doctors and nursing staff have a greater understanding of eating disorders.

The Scottish Government has been working with NHS Education Scotland (NES) to develop new Eating Disorder content on Turas. The updated platform will act as a multi-agency resource, structured by age, context and practice type. This will link to guidance, training and evidence-based resources. Accessibility and intellectual property requirements are being built in, and navigation will be more user-friendly than the current structure.

Question reference: S6W-42945

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made to improve the transition from children’s services to adult services for those being treated for eating disorders.

The Scottish Government understands that transitions between children’s to adult services can be difficult for some young people, particularly those who are being treated for eating disorders. We know that these transitions can be stressful, and it is important that a robust plan is in place for young people.

The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Service Specification, published by the Scottish Government in February 2020, sets out an expectation that the Scottish Government's Transition Care Planning Guidance is implemented, and that CAMHS will have protocols in place to ensure that transitions between CAMHS and other services are robust. It recommends that, wherever possible, services work together with the child or young person and their family to plan in advance for transition, which is especially critical in the transfer from CAMHS to adult mental health services and primary care.

Transition Care Plan (TCP) templates, guidance and protocols are the responsibility of individual Health Boards as part of their own management and strategic plans, and we continue to work closely with Boards to ensure they are reviewing their work in this space, as well as identifying areas of improvement to ensure that all young people receive a transition in line with their needs.

The Scottish Government also published The National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland in November 2024. Outcome six of the specification describes the standards for transitions of care and treatment for individuals with an eating disorder to support safe and coherent care.

Question reference: S6W-42941

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 22 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it has taken to improve access to eating disorder care services.

We remain committed to improving eating disorder services in Scotland and are continuing to deliver the recommendations from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services in 2021, including publication of the National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland in November 2024.

The specification aims to ensure that everyone has access to a high-quality standard of service regardless of what stage they are in their recovery and is for care across all stages of treatment, from primary care to specialist inpatient care.

We have established the National Eating Disorder Network, to support implementation of the Specification across NHS Boards and deliver on the remaining long-term recommendations from the Review.

We continue to fund eating disorder charity Beat to provide a range of support services, such as their dedicated helpline support and delivering peer support services.

The Scottish Government has also been working with NES to produce training resources for staff delivering care and treatment to children, young people and adults with eating disorders.

Question reference: S6W-42990

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many nurses are currently employed by NHS Scotland, and how this compares to 2006-07.

Question reference: S6W-42991

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many doctors are currently employed by NHS Scotland, and how this compares to 2006-07.

Question reference: S6W-42992

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2026
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 20 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many dentists are currently employed by NHS Scotland, and how this compares to 2006-07.

Question reference: S6O-05366

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 January 2026
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how much the UK Government’s increase in employer national insurance contributions has cost local government in Scotland.

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