NHS Digital figures show that hospital admissions for eating disorders in England are increasing. The number of deaths in England and Wales from eating disorders has also risen (from 17 in 2014 to 28 in 2015), according to statistics from the Office of National Statistics.
But treatment is patchy. Northern Ireland has no specialist eating disorders unit. Patients are treated in the community but this is currently under review. Wales also has no single condition eating disorder units, although they developing specialist community eating disorder teams for adults. In England there are 186 beds for adolescents and children in need of inpatient care.
The BBC recently followed the story of Fiona Hollings, 19, who was sent 400 miles away from her home in Buckinghamshire to Glasgow for inpatient treatment.
The government has vowed to invest more in this area, developing teams in the community and outpatient services. In October it announced an extra £1m of funding to help improve treatment. Despite this, doctors worry about a lack of resources, with demand outstripping supply.
What are your experiences of NHS services? If you or a member of your family has been treated for an eating disorder, we’d like to hear from you. How long did you have to wait to get help? Was it a struggle to get a diagnosis? Did you receive treatment locally or were you moved away from home? We’d also like to hear from people who work with eating disorders. Do you think the services are effective? What changes would you like to see?
Share your experiences and perspectives in the form below. Your responses will be confidential.
