NHS data has revealed that the number of children with eating disorders has doubled over the last eight years.
Some patients are having to wait over a year for treatment, according to a report by The Times. Currently, 12% of patients are waiting more than three months for an appointment, a monumental jump from 1% in 2021.
NHS maximum waiting time standards state that 95% of children and young people referred for assessment or treatment for an eating disorder should receive treatment within one week for urgent cases and four weeks for other cases.
But The Times report found that the longest time a patient spent waiting for treatment was 378 days at Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust. The data was revealed by Freedom of Information requests submitted by the Liberal Democrats.
Commenting on the figures, Tom Quinn, director of external affairs at eating disorders charity Beat, tells Yahoo UK: “It’s unacceptable that vulnerable children and young people are being left waiting for months for treatment they desperately need. Eating disorders are incredibly serious mental illnesses and being unable to access quality care quickly makes it more difficult to recover.
“While NHS staff are doing their best to help every patient, eating disorder services are in crisis and healthcare professionals don’t have enough resources. The new Government and NHS leaders must take urgent action to ensure that eating disorder services are properly funded and can recruit and retain the staff they need, to help patients as soon as possible.
“We’d urge anybody worried about themselves or their child to contact their GP as soon as possible and ask for an urgent appointment. Charities like Beat are also here to support people with eating disorders and their families.”
Cormac Nolan, Service Head of Childline, adds: “The news that eating disorders in children have doubled in eight years is distressing, yet it is in line with what we’re seeing at Childline.
“Last year, we received over 4,000 contacts from young people reaching out to the counselling service about body image issues and eating disorders. We saw a particular spike in children contacting us in August, typically warmer weather can mean less clothing is worn, resulting in a higher awareness of body image.
“Regardless of their situation or worries, Childline wants to remind all young people that our trained counsellors are here for them and that no child should feel like they are alone with any concerns they have.”
In February, analysis by the Royal College of Psychiatrists warned that NHS eating disorder services were failing to hit key waiting time targets for children and young people.
Experts from the college also warned that the delays were causing children with eating disorders “physical and mental harm” while they wait for treatment.
Dr Ashish Kumar, chairman of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ eating disorders faculty, told the PA news agency at the time: “We know that early intervention is essential if children are to make a full recovery from an eating disorder, but we simply do not have the resources.
“It is dreadful that so many children are becoming seriously ill while they wait for eating disorders services. We need a renewed focus on recruiting and retaining child and adolescent psychiatrists, including those who specialise in eating disorders and neurodevelopmental conditions.”
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse, who is the chair of the eating disorders all-parliamentary group, emphasised the importance of early intervention in light of the most recent NHS figures.
She told The Times: “Early intervention should be our absolute focus in tackling this misery. Not just for preventing this unbearable suffering in the first place but also freeing up resources in the NHS by keeping people out of hospital and giving them stable lives in communities where they can thrive.”
Every child needs someone they can turn to for help with their mental health.
From walk-in hubs to a dedicated mental health professional in every school, @HopeVirgo and I are campaigning to get children the support they deserve before it is too late.https://t.co/HIYpYOxrpp
— Wera Hobhouse MP 🔶 🇺🇦 (@Wera_Hobhouse) August 19, 2024
Hobhouse has begun a campaign alongside mental health campaigner Hope Virgo, who herself suffered from and survived anorexia, to make walk-in hubs available and get dedicated mental health professionals in all schools in order to provide children with support.
A spokesperson for the NHS said: “The number of referrals from young people for eating disorders has increased significantly in recent years and the NHS is clear that improving care for people with an eating disorder is vital.
“That’s why, since 2016, investment in children and young people’s community eating disorder services has risen every year, with an extra £54 million per year since last year to enhance the capacity of community eating disorder teams across the country.
“This extra support is in addition to rolling out hundreds of NHS mental health teams in schools to help improve early access to care.”
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk
Childline is always available to talk to any child in the UK either online or over phone. Their trained counsellors are there 24/7 to help young people with any worries, concerns or questions – no matter how big or small they might feel. Simply visit childline.org.uk or call 0800 1111
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