Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:22 pm on 2 March 2022.
Thank you for that intervention. I am conscious of time, Rhun, but I think the key bone of contention, really, is the need for a new framework, because we know exactly where we need to get to in eating disorder services. There is clear NICE guidance that we have to ensure is met. We're also putting in place new clinical governance arrangements, and there will be a work plan below that. So, I suppose, in summary, that is where our key difference is—that we don't see the need for a separate framework, because that work is already in hand.
As I said, we've taken action to raise awareness of eating disorders, and that includes the development of clinical resources for GPs and paediatric clinicians, to increase understanding and interest in this speciality, to assist with identifying the signs, assessing eating disorders, and accessing appropriate referral pathways. Building on our previous investment, I have been clear that we must continue to prioritise eating disorder services, with the increased funding from the additional £50 million we have secured for mental health in 2022-23. This is significant additional and recurrent funding for mental health services that increases the baseline funding to support services to meet changing mental health needs as a result of COVID.
However, funding is just part of the solution. Recruitment into specialist ED services remains a challenge. We must continue to develop a sustainable workforce for mental health services in Wales. Workforce issues impact across mental health services, and that's why we've commissioned Health Education and Improvement Wales and Social Care Wales to develop a strategic mental health workforce plan for Wales. We are currently consulting on this plan, and I can't emphasise enough how important it is to engage with this consultation, including to ensure we have the right future provision to support those living with an eating disorder.
We also recognise the need to have comprehensive data, and our ongoing work to develop a mental health core data set will improve data across mental health services, including eating disorder services. Following the omicron variant, we are now at the point where we need to reset and recover mental health services, which we must remember have remained available throughout the pandemic. Of course this includes eating disorders, and my officials are already working with the NHS collaborative to reset the NHS eating disorder network's work plan to support the improvement of eating disorder services. As a matter of priority, this will include strengthening the national clinical leadership to drive this change. Without delaying the improvement work that is already under way, we want to implement an ED network model in Wales that can make the transformational improvement that we all want to see for these services.
As we emerge from COVID, we will also test the progress that has already been made against the priorities that were set for services based on the independent review. This will give us a clear picture of progress to date on where each health board is on its improvement journey. Based on this, health boards will now be asked to refresh their current plans with clear milestones to reconfigure services towards earlier intervention, to meet the NICE standards and to achieve a four-week waiting time. The NICE quality standards are evidence based and set out six quality areas. They are supported by key stakeholders and we will use these as our framework to support improvement, rather than developing a separate framework of our own. Members will also wish to note that we have been in discussions since the summer of 2021 with a key partner to schedule a formal national clinical audit for eating disorder services covering England and Wales, and I'm happy to update Members further on that in due course.
I recognise today that we have focused on NHS services, and that is only part of the transformation that we need. Eating disorders are complex and the risk factors are varied. We are working with schools on healthy eating and body image workshops through our whole-school approach, and it is so important to me that we are able to intervene in an early way and at a critical point in the development of young people. I remain absolutely committed to driving forward the change needed in our specialist eating disorder services, but we all have a role to play in the transformational system-wide changes that are needed to reduce the complex risk factors that cause eating disorders. This is not something that the NHS can or should do alone. Diolch.