Eating disorders: national network

Overview

The National Eating Disorders Network has been established to take forward the remaining medium and long-term recommendations from the National Review of Eating Disorder Services which was commissioned by Scottish Government in 2020 and published its final report and recommendations in March 2021.

It follows on from the Eating Disorders Implementation Group which was established to take forward the early planning of the recommendations made by the review and published the Eating Disorders Implementation Group’s final report in April 2023.

The network will be responsible for the coordination of national functions including: training, national level service development, implementation of the national specification for the care and treatment of eating disorders in Scotland, research, innovation developments and address issues of inequality in access to services.

Related groups

• National Review of Eating Disorder Services Implementation Group

Members

• Professor Cathy Richards was appointed as Chair of the National Eating Disorders Network by the Minister for Mental Health at the end of Oct 2023. In this role Cathy works 1 day per week, alongside the two clinical advisors and Scottish Government colleagues. Prior to undertaking this role Cathy was Lead Clinician and Head of Psychology of the Lothian CAMHS service . Cathy also worked with the Scottish Government as a CAMHS advisor  and chaired the CAMHS Lead Clinician and Managers group. Cathy also has an active interest in research and was appointed as Honorary Chair by the University of Edinburgh in 2018.

• Dr Fiona Duffy, Clinical Advisor of the network, Co-chair of the National Specification Group Working Group, founding member of the University of Edinburgh Eating Disorders and Behaviours Group. Consultant Clinical Psychologist in NHS Lothian CAMHS and Senior Lecturer University of Edinburgh 
• Katherine Morton, Clinical Advisor of the network, Consultant Psychiatrist Tertiary Eating Disorder Specialist Service (TESS)  working in an adult eating disorder service in NHS Lanarkshire. Katherine has a special interest in eating disorders in the perinatal period, having previously worked as a Consultant Psychiatrist within the Community Perinatal Mental Health Team and been involved in cowriting the Perinatal chapter of the SIGN 164 Guidance on Eating Disorders. Katherine is an active member of the RCPsych Scottish Faculty of Eating Disorders.  
• Ellen Maloney, Co-chair of the National Specification Group, Lived Experience Peer Researcher brings both lived experience and professional expertise to the field of eating disorders. Having personally navigated anorexia nervosa and engaged with a wide range of treatment services, Ellen offers a unique and deeply informed perspective on the complexities of recovery and care provision.Alongside this personal insight, Ellen has built extensive experience within the third sector, contributing to campaigning and policy development aimed at improving support for individuals affected by eating disorders. Ellen served as a patient representative on the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) committee for the recent update of national eating disorder treatment guidelines, and co-chaired the Scottish Eating Disorders Implementation Group, working to ensure effective delivery of services across Scotland. Ellen now works as a peer researcher at the University of Edinburgh, contributing to research projects focused on eating disorders and bringing valuable lived experience to academic inquiry and knowledge generation.
• Dr Stephen Anderson, Co-chair of the Education and Training Working Group, Consultant Psychiatrist Greater Glasgow and Clyde is Consultant Psychiatrist in Eating Disorders in NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, having been in NHS Forth Valley for a number of years prior to this. Joint lead of Scottish Government’s National Review of Eating Disorder Services which was published in 2021, and subsequently lead of the education and training group of the national implementation group. Interest in legal and ethical aspects of treatment in eating disorders. Previously on the Board of Trustees of Beat, the UK eating disorder charity and Secretary of the European Chapter of the Academy for Eating Disorders. Stephen is also a member of Beat’s Clinical Advisory Group
• Dr Rachael Smith, MA(Hons), D.Clin.Psychol, is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Professional Lead for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Maternity and Neonatal Psychological Interventions (MNPI) and Infant Mental Health Services (IMH) at NHS Grampian.  Rachael currently chairs the national Child Heads of Psychology Services in Scotland (CHOPS) group and the multi-disciplinary Scottish CAMHS Eating Disorder Steering Group. Rachael received her first-class honours Psychology degree from the University of Aberdeen in 2001, and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Edinburgh in 2006. She has additional training in CBT, Schema Therapy, IPT, ACT, EMDR, EFT, FBT, CFT and mindfulness. She is a senior ADOS-2 trainer and is ADI-R trained. Alongside strategic leadership roles, Rachael regularly works clinically with children, young people and the systems around them, with special interests in Eating Disorders, Complex Trauma, Emotion Regulation, and Neurodevelopmental Conditions.
• Dr Ruairidh Mckay, Psychiatrist, REDU NHS Lothian, co-chair of the adult IPU network is the consultant psychiatrist at the Regional Eating Disorders Unit (REDU) in Livingston. REDU is the adult specialist eating disorders unit for the South-East of Scotland covering Lothian, Borders, Fife and Forth Valley.
• Dr Agnes Louise Johnston is a consultant psychiatrist and clinical lead on the Eden Unit, which is a 10 bed and 4 day patient place Regional Unit for Eating disorders in the North of Scotland, located in Aberdeen. Louise will shortly be relocating to be Consultant Psychiatrist in Eating Disorders and Psychotherapy in NHS Tayside. She has completed dual specialist training in medical psychotherapy and child and adolescent psychiatry in Aberdeen. Louise has completed MBT practitioner level training, MBT for Eating Disorders, Family Behavioural Treatment and Interpersonal Therapy training. She is chair of the Scottish faculty of Eating Disorders for the Royal College of psychiatrists in Scotland and co-chair of the adult IPU network. Louise is also involved in development of a pathway for managing co-morbid personality disorders and eating disorder nationally. She is also involved in the eating disorder training and accreditation system in Scotland as an EEATS supervisor. She also has a strong interest in creative therapies and music.
• Dr Sam Aitcheson, Chair of the  adult psychology ED network, North of Scotland, Consultant Clinical Psychologist Grampian and Chair of Lead Psychologists in Adult Eating Disorder Services in Scotland (LPAEDS) his interests include group and transdiagnostic psychological interventions for eating disorders. 
• Dr Lesley Pillans, is an Associate Specialist working in the Eden Unit.  She is also Clinical Lead for the North of Scotland Managed Clinical Network for Eating Disorders and the current Chair of EEATS. 
• Carol Morgan supports families and carers of young people in CAMHS across the North of Scotland. As a member of the Eating Disorder Network. I can advocate for the voices of parent/carers to be heard and represented, while also sharing key information and resources with staff and families in the region. 
• Alex Jones is National Lead for Scotland at Beat, the UK’s leading eating disorder charity. His role is to manage their relationship with Scottish Government, Health Boards and other stakeholders in Scotland, and to lead their political and campaigning work in Scotland. Before joining Beat Alex worked for more than 20 years in frontline mental health and learning disability services in the Third Sector. 
• Julie Hogg-Weld is proud to lead the SupportED dynamic team, having taken up post in May 2025. She has over 20 years experience as CEO of three successful charities (delivering counselling and systemic family therapy, advocacy, and youth outdoor activities). She also worked for the Lottery for over ten years, assessing and managing capital and revenue grants, both large and small, held by charities across Scotland. A former Trustee on the Board of three charities and a current Trustee of Dog Aid Scotland, she is passionate about animals, the empowerment and inclusion of people, and removing barriers so that individuals can thrive, achieve, and live happy and healthy lives.
• Dr Fiona Calder has been working as a Clinical Psychologist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMHS) teams in Greater Glasgow & Clyde health board since 2000 with children, young people and families who are experiencing a range of mental health difficulties including eating disorders. From 2009, she has also been employed by NHS Education for Scotland (NES), and since 2014 has led the NES CAMHS team to implement a programme of training for CAMHS multidisciplinary staff across Scotland.  This has included increasing access to training and supervision in evidence-based psychological therapies for children and young people experiencing an eating disorder. In addition, the NES CAMHS team has developed a variety of learning resources accessible on Turas Learn and implemented a programme of learning for new to CAMHS staff including training in eating disorders.
• Hazel Elliot is an Advanced Dietetic Practitioner specialising in the treatment of Eating Disorders. She works in the Regional Eating Disorder Unit at St John's Hospital which is a 12 bedded in-patient facility for the treatment of adults with an eating disorder diagnosis in the South East of Scotland. Hazel chairs the Royal College of Psychiatrists Accreditation Committee for Quality Network for Eating Disorders.
• Hazel Cain is an Advanced Clinical Nurse Specialist for Tayside and Shetlandthe in North of Scotland CAMHS Tier 4 and Systemic Practitioner at Intermediate Level. Hazel is taking a Lead as a co-chair in developing an Intensive Home Treatment Eating Disorder Pathway for the North of Scotland in collaboration with the six health boards in this area. She has worked extensively with young people across the North of Scotland who have required hospital admissions due to their eating disorders since 2008 and more recently supporting outpatient teams to provide outreach during transitions in and out of hospital. A particular area of interest is the impact that eating disorders have on family relationships and how services can use the voices of the young people and their parents to improve the care provided.

Publications

National Specification for the Care and Treatment of Eating Disorders in Scotland - Consultation Analysis Report

Care and treatment of eating disorders - national specification: consultation

National Review of Eating Disorder Services Implementation Group: final report