7Final conclusions and recommendations
80.There is evidence of a lot of work that has been taken forward by several organisations in response to the PHSO’s report, which we welcome, but it is clear from our conclusions and the evidence quoted above that sufficient progress in the area of eating disorders has not yet been made. While we have received a large amount of evidence about what various organisations plan to do, this has for the most part not yet resulted in concrete deliverables. In relation to the PHSO Delivery Group, Dr Kendall remarked to us:
Rather naively, I now feel, I thought that we would have a limited time period, possibly a year, perhaps two, to get this whole thing going and make sure each of the bodies involved knew their responsibilities and had programmes underway. We now, on reflection, think that we need to keep this group going until we are very clearly getting eating disorders established within curricula, within doctors’ training, and so on.98
81.Welcome steps are being made in response to the PHSO’s report, but sufficient progress has not yet been made in response to the PHSO’s report. We agree with Dr Kendall’s assessment that the PHSO Delivery Group needs to continue to meet. It is essential that there is a delivery body that has responsibility for ensuring these recommendations are taken forward. We recommend that the PHSO Delivery Group not be disbanded until it can report with confidence that all the recommendations have been implemented.
82.In oral evidence to us, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide Prevention, told us:
The recommendations are sitting with various aspects of the system but ultimately, as the Minister, it is my job to make sure that everyone steps up to the plate. I am happy to take on that challenge99 … In terms of the levers that I can bring, I think that ability to have good, constructive engagement with those responsible for delivery and the ability to challenge other partners and those responsible is where I can really use my influence.100
83.We are encouraged by the Minister’s and the Department of Health and Social Care’s interest in this subject. They can play a critical leadership role in providing impetus to ensure timely progress is made on the PHSO’s recommendations. A number of steps have been set out in the evidence we have received but we do not think there is enough urgency. Such urgency must reflect the fact that lives will continue to be lost under the status quo. There must accordingly be a clear picture of what actions will be delivered under each recommendation, what funding will be assigned to delivering those actions and by what timeframe those actions will be complete. In its response to this report the Government should produce a timeline against each of the PHSO’s recommendations; what steps have been taken, what further steps will be taken under each recommendation and what funding will be allocated. These actions should have clear responsible owners and deadlines for completion.
84.Once proceedings in court are finished, we plan to consider the PHSO’s investigation of Averil Hart’s case in greater depth. At that time, we will return to the PHSO’s wider recommendations to assess what progress has been made.
Published: 18 June 2019